Flurry of Dancing Flames
by TwilightFairy928
Summary: Axel is a 14 year old boy living in Twilight Town, living a normal life... Or so he thinks. When strange events start to occur around him, he begins to realize that his life will never be the same...
1. Day One, Twilight Town

Note to the reader: In this story, Axel is 14, his hair is not spiked, he doesn't have the marks under his eyes (yet), and he lives in Twilight Town.

And: To those who have read my story 'Roxie', this has absolutely nothing to do with it.

Twilight Town, Day One

Axel woke up to some one knocking on his door.

"Wake up! It's morning!" a voice called cheerfully to him.

"Don't you mean evening?" he mumbled.

"Come on, Axel, I made pancackes for breakfast!" the voice replied.

"Mom, I... well... alright, I'm comin', I'm comin', he said.

"You better, because your friends are waiting," she said, "They even dropped by to see you."

"Dema, Kemikah, and Setzer already came by?" he said, going over to the door and opening it.

"Yes," she replied, "and come on, or your breakfast will get cold."

When he got into the kitchen, there was his dad at the table.

"Morning, Axel," he said cheerfully.

"It's Twilight," Axel said flatly.

"It's always been that way," he replied, frowning.

"Yeah, but how can you say 'morning' whenit's twilight?" Axel asked as he sat down.

"Here's your pancackes!" his mom said, placing a large stack of pancackes in front of him.

"Mom, I can't eat all of this!" he exclaimed, staring at the edible tower as it swayed dangerously.

"Can't you at least try? You're just so thin!" she pleaded, "You're growing after all." she placed a fork beside the 'leaning tower of pancackes'.

"I'll try..." he said, picking up the fork and the nearby bottle of syrup.

Axel poured on the syrup, then ate five pancackes. But not being very hungry, stopped, and leaned back in his chair.

"Done," he said.

"Are you sure?" his mom asked sweetly, and he nodded.

"Well, in that case..." his dad said, pulling the plate towards himself, "Can't let these go to waste."

"_YOU_, FOR YOUR INFORMATION, WILL GROW _OUT_, NOT _UP_," she said loudly. Axel laughed.

"Better listen to her, dad," he said, then added, "I'm going." He then left as his parents waved good-bye.

He walked down to the place where he and his friends usually met up at. On the way, however, he stopped as two little blonde haired boys, a boy with black hair, and a brunette girl ran by. Next, another boy with blonde hair, followed by an even bigger boy and a girl with silver hair chased the first group, but stopped.

"You and your friends better run, Hayner!" the blonde boy yelled.

"What's going on?" Axel asked the boy, stepping in front of him.

"They entered our _area_!" he replied.

"Who are you?" Axel inquired, narrowing his eyes.

"Seifer," the boy said with a smirk.

"And your friends?" he said, pointing to the other two.

"Fuu," the girl said calmly.

"Name's Rai, y'know?" the other boy said.

"And _you_ are?" Seifer asked, crossing his arms.

"The name's Axel," he replied, "By the way- how old are you?"

"I'm five now and so are they," Seifer said, pointing a thumb back at Fuu and Rai.

"Oh, so your a hanfull now, I guess," he said, scratching his head.

"Yeah, a whole handfull!" the little boy said, holding five fingers up.

"That's not exactly what I meant..." Axel said slowly.

"Hey, Axel! Come on!" a voice called. He turned and saw Kemikah waving to him. He waved back, then turned back to Seifer, Fuu, and Rai, but they were gone. So he ran over to meet her.

"What took you so long?" We've been waiting," she said, hands on her hips.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard," he replied.

"You slept in didn't you?" she asked with a smile and eyebrow raised.

"Maybe... but let's go see Dema and Setzer, O.K.?" he said hastily.

When they entered the room, they saw that Kemikah's twin brother, Dema, was sitting on a worn out cushion on the floor as usual, and Setzer was holding a peice of paper, which he seemed absorbed in.

"Hey, guys, Axel finally woke up!" Kemikah said happily.

"Look here!" Setzer said, showing them the paper, "The Struggle Battle is the day after tomorrow!"

"And lemme guess," Axel said casually, "Your gonna try and win it."

Dema added, a sly grin across his face, "I can see it now: the girls screaming, 'Setzeeer!' Yeah, right..."

"It could happen!" Setzer pouted, sticking his lower lip out.

"Sure... and I don't _really_ come from Twilight Town, and you guys aren't _really_ my friends," Axel said sarcastically. Setzer looked as though he was going to protest, but Kemikah spoke first.

"Guess what I got? Ice cream!" she said, pulling out four ice creams, and handed them each out, "Grape for Setzer, blue rasberry for Dema, cherry for Axel, and lemon for me."

"Hmmm... I heard that there's another kind, sis," Dema commented, "Maybe we should try it. It's called 'Sea Salt ice cream'.

"Maybe," she replied, "Why don't me and... and..."

"I'll go with you," Axel volunteered, and they left.

As they approached the ice cream stand, Axel began to feel dizzy.

"Are you O.K.?" Kemikah asked, trying to help him stand up straight.

"I... I don't know..." he replied, then fell, unconsious.

"Axel!" she called.

When he woke up, he was leaning up against a wall, near to where he had collapsed. Kemikah wasn't there. Instead, there was a man in along, black coat.

"Who are you?" he asked the man.

"My name is Vexen, if you must know," he replied, pulling his hood down, to reveal a pale face with long, graying, blonde hair, "And I was sent to bring you back to my leader."

"What?!" Axel exclaimed, getting up, "I'm not going with you!"

"I'm afraid that you don't have much of a choice, and, I was ordered to give you this," he said, handing Axel two something-or-others, wheel shaped, with spikes.

"And these are...?" he said, staring at them.

"Chakrams, I believe they are called. Here! Take them!" Vexen said, and thrusted them at him. However, when he did, it hit Axel below the eye, leaving a black scar.

"OW!!!" he cried, with a hand on the mark, "What are these things made of?! Fire?!"

"My apologies... but you must come with me," the old man said calmly. Axel with the chakrams now in one hand, was grabbed by the arm by Vexen.

"Let... go... of... me...!" Axel grunted, trying to pull away.

"The Superior wouldn't allow it," he replied, "So, now, be good and come with me, boy." Angered, Axel, with one free hand, shoved the man's sleeve up, showing his pale skin. He gripped his arm tightly, and felt a strange flow of power through his body. Vexen let out a shriek, and when he pulled back his hand, there was a dark mark.

He had burned Vexen.

Axel began to run, now free of that strange man's grasp. As he ran, he could here Vexen call out, "Hah!" then, suddenly, ice patches began to form on the ground. He fell several times on them, but managed to get away. He then ran straight into Kemikah.

"Sorry," he said, panting. Dema and Setzer helped them both up.

"It's O.K., and I see that your awake," she said, "I went to get help from Dema and Setzer, after you passed out."

"What were you running from?" Dema inquired.

"Some creep named Vexen was trying to take me away," he answered, still breathing heavily.

"Take you away?!" his friend repeated in unison.

"Are you alright?" Dema asked.

"Why did he want _you_?" Setzer inquired.

"Did he give that scar under your eye?!" Kemikah asked, concerned.

"Wait, wait! Look, I'll explain everyting that happened when we get back to the usual spot, alright?" Axel said.

As he said, Axel told them about what happened when they returned to the usual spot. He also realised that the chakrams he had were gone. The rest of the day passed normally, and they even tried Sea Salt ice cream. But instead of Axel, Dema went with Kemikah, just in case. Once they had finished their ice creams, they bagan to talk of the up coming Struggle Battle.

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Setzer exclaimed.

"And what's that?" Axel inquired, leaning back in the couch he normally sat in.

"What if we all compete in the Struggle Battle?" he suggested.

"Yeah!" Dema agreed, "Then we'll have an even better chance of sharing the prize!"

"What's say?" Setzer said, stretching his hand forward.

"I'm in," Kemikah said, placing her hand on Setzer's.

"I'm _definitely_ in!" Dema exclaimed, and put his hand on Kemikah's.

"It's a promise," Axel said, and placed his hand on top of the others'.

A while later, the large Twilight Town clock tower's bell chimed, and they each dispersed for home. Axel's parents were terrified when he explained to them about Vexen, and scolded him for not coming earlier. He went to bed early, his thoughts drifting on that strange man, Vexen, as well as the Struggle Battle.


	2. Day Two, Twilight Town

Twilight Town, Day Two

Axel woke up earlier the next morning, his thoughts still lingering on that strange man, Vexen.

Why had he tried to take him away?

Who did he mean by 'Superior'?

And why did he give Axel those strange new weapons, that he called 'chakrams'?

"Those chakrams!" Axel remembered aloud, "I wonder where they are now? Did I drop them?" As he thought about that, trying to recall everything that happened, he quickly got dressed, and ran downstairs. He entered the kitchen, and saw that his mother was already up, making breakfast. She turned around.

"Good morning, Axel!" she greeted him happily.

"'Morning', mom..." he replied, in a distant voice, then waking up a little, "I was just going to see my friends."

"And let me know, first?" she said, with an eyebrow raised.

"And let you know, first," he said, and sighed. He knew, and understood that she was worried about him, because of what had happened the previous day.

With her hands on her hips, she also sighed, and said, "Alright... but if _anything_ happens like that again, you come _straight_ back, and stay with your friends_ at all times."_

"Even to the _bathroom_?!" he said, sarcastically, "Mom, I'm a little old for that! I can go by myself!" He loved picking on her to lighten the mood.

"You know what I mean, Axel," she replied, rolling her eyes. He laughed.

"Now," she continued, "Why don't you take some breakfast along? I don't want you to get hungry later, and just fill up on icecream."

"O.K.," he agreed, "I'll take along some... um... well... what do we have?"

"I heated up some pancackes in case someone would want any," she said, and after showing him, pulled out a plastic bag, and placed the pancackes inside, then sealed the bag shut.

"How many pancackes did you make yesterday?!" he exclaimed.

Ignoring him, she pulled out a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"Here," she said, handing him both, "and if you can't finish it, your friends might want some." Axel nodded.

"That will definitely be Dema," he said, unable to suppress a grin, then added, "Well, I'm going." His mom waved to him as he walked out the door.

As he walked down the street, one of the little boys, with spiky blonde hair, was running frantically away from... something. Axel thought it might be Seifer and his friends again, that were chasing him. The little boy looked behind him, and, not noticing the older redhead boy in front of him, crashed staight into Axel.

"Whoa, whoa, what's the matter, little guy?" he inquired, trying to calm him.

"Seifer," he panted.

"Oh... I met him yesterday," Axel replied, then couldn't help but ask, "What's your name?"

"I'm Roxas," he said, now smiling.

"Name's Axel," he said, "Nice to meet you, Roxas!" But, just then, Seifer and his gang of five year olds ran up to them. Roxas, afraid, hid behind Axel.

"Hey," Seifer said gruffly, "We've been looking for Roxas." Axel tilted his head to one side, and crossed his arms.

"You can't have him," he replied flatly.

"As if we're listening to you," he said. They approached Roxas, but Axel spread his arms out in defence.

"Get going," he ordered.

"No," Seifer replied rudely. They continued toward Roxas, but Axel bent down so that he was eye level with the trio.

_"I said, get going,"_ he told them in a low, cold tone, _"Now."_ A little panicked, they backed off, and ran back from the direction that they came. Roxas, relieved, stepped out in front of him.

"Wow!" he exclaimed in awe, "Thanks!"

"No problem!" he replied, "But I need to go meet my friends now."

"Hey, can I come with you?" Roxas asked, with big, puppy eyes.

"If you want..." he said, "But don't you have your own friends to go see?"

"Well, it's a little early..." he explained, "and their probably not there yet. Plus, at least Pence is supposed to be at his cousin's birthday party today."

"Then come on!" he said, "I'm sure my friends will be happy to see you." The little boy smiled, and followed Axel.

The two entered the room where the twins were already there. It seemed that Setzer had not arrived yet.

"Hey!" Axel said.

"Hi, Axel!" Kemikah replied, "Who's your friend?"

"This is Roxas!" he introduced the small blonde beside him, who shyly waved.

"Hey, Roxas!" Dema said, and thrust his hand forward in a friendly manner. Roxas shook it, and Kemikah laughed.

"Aw, he's so cute..." she commented, "How old are you?"

He blushed, then answered, "Four."

"Well, hey," she said, "Do you two want to go meet Setzer at the sandlot?"

"That's where the Struggle battle is going to take place," Dema told them.

"Yeah, let's go," Axel agreed, and looked down at Roxas. His eyes seemed to be lit up in pure excitement.

When they arrived, there were plenty of people working on getting everything set up for tomorrow. Setzer ran to meet them.

"Hello," he said calmly, but it was easy to see that he was excited, "Guess what I bought?" He held up four icecreams.

"It's SeaSalt icecream," he said.

"How thoughtful of you, Setzer, but your missing one," Kemikah pointed out.

"I am?" he asked, confused.

"Yes," she said, "We have a new friend, Roxas." She pointed to him, who was beside Axel.

"Oh, I see," he said, "Then I should get another one."

"I'll go with someone," Axel said, smiling down at his new little buddy.

"I'll go with you!" Dema voluteered.

"After what happened yesterday," Kemikah said, "I'll go too. That is, if you don't mind, Setzer."

"That's alright," he replied, "I'll stay and help out around here."

The four left, and this time, actually made to the icecream stand. They bought Roxas one, then returned to Setzer. They ate their SeaSalt icecreams together, watching as everything was put together and decorated.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" Setzer exclaimed, staring up at the banner with the Struggle battle symbol on it. An arm held a struggle bat in a clenched fist, with four round stones around it.

They were still there when everyone had left. They talked for awhile, but, suddenly, a black mist appeared, and swirled around until a man with an eye patch and black hair pulled back in a ponytail stepped out. He scratched his face where a large scar was, and spoted the five of them.

"Hey," he called, "Which one of you is Axel?"

Axel stood up and called back, "I am!"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot..." he said, lightly smacking himself on the side of his head, "Vexen said that he accidentally gave you a black scar. I can see that now."

"What do you want?" Dema demanded, standing up beside the redhead.

"I was told that this Axel is a little slippery..." he replied, "so, I have something that should calm him down." He pulled out two very odd purple and silver guns.

"Who are you?!" Kemikah cried. By now they were all standing up.

"Xigbar," he replied, with a grin that made them all uneasy, "Hey, Axel!"

"Yeah?" Axel said, careful to watch his guard.

"You're coming with me," he said, and, even with the help of his friends, Xigbar raised his guns, and blasted something at him. However, it didn't appear to be anything deadly, but it struck Axel anyhow. As had happened yesterday, his head began to spin, and he fell over backward as Setzer caught him. He only had time to hear Kemikah and Roxas call out his name, then everything went black.

When he woke up, he was in his room, with his friends, as well as his parents surrounding him. They appeared to be relieved that he was awake.

"What... what happened?" he managed to say.

"We dragged you away from that guy, Xigbar, until we got to your house," Kemikah explained, "Once there, your dad carried you to your room and put you in your bed."

"Oh..." he groaned, then fell back to sleep.


	3. Day Three, Twilight Town

Twilight Town, Day Three

Axel woke up that morning with a horrible headache. He sat up with a groan, and rested his throbbing head in his hands. His mom opened his door, and quietly walked in.

"How are you this morning?" she asked softly, and added, "Breakfast is ready."

"Mom, I really don't want pancakes again," Axel said, honestly.

"Don't worry, it's not pancakes," she replied with a laugh, "It's sausage and eggs."

"Really? Oh, good," he said, with a sigh of relief. He brushed his hair out of his face, with his right hand. He still held onto his sore head with his left hand. He disliked the way his hair was straight, longish, dull, and a lot of the time, in his face. One day he was going to change that, he decided. The scar on his face hurt, as well. He remembered the chakrams that guy, Vexen, tried to give him. When that weird man tried to hand those to him, and it hit his face...

"Ow..." Axel muttered, seeming to feel pain from that all over again. He rubbed the spot below his eye again.

"Are you all right?" his mom asked, concerned. He snapped back into reality.

"I'm fine," he replied, nodding, "I'm hungry."

"Well, then," she said cheerfully, "come on, you'll need plenty to eat to be in good shape for the Struggle Battle!"

"Oh, right," he remembered, "almost forgot..." After he had breakfast, he and his parents made their way to the Struggle Battle. Upon arriving, they were greeted by Dema, Kemikah, Setzer and Roxas, along with his friends.

"O.K., so, you know the rules, right?" Kemikah asked her brother, Setzer, and Axel.

"Yes," Setzer replied.

"How about you two?" she said, looking over at the other two.

"Yep," Dema answered.

"Got it," Axel confirmed.

"You sure?" she asked.

"Positive," the red head replied.

"Completely?" she said.

"I got it memorized!" he reassured her, slightly annoyed. The event began, and Dema was first. He lost, but Setzer and Axel both succeeded. Next, they were going to battle each other. They both stepped up onto the platform.

"Why don't you just make this easy, and let me win?" Setzer said with a grin.

"Yeah, right. I'm not giving up that easy," Axel replied with a smirk, "But, hey, their can't be two winners, right?"

"One winner, one _loser,_" he said, simply. The announcer called for the strugglers to begin. Axel rushed forward to hit Setzer with his bat, but his friend didn't move. Nor did anyone else. Axel paused and looked around. He glanced back at his other friends and his parents. They all seemed frozen. He turned back to Setzer. But instead there stood another man in a hooded black coat. He pulled his hood back to reveal long, black, braided hair. He had sideburns and blue eyes.

"Who are you?!" Axel exclaimed.

"My name is Xaldin," he replied, with a strange grin. Axel backed away, intending to run away, but it was no use- an almost invisible barrier blocked the way. He turned around to see six spears appearing around Xaldin. The spears turned, aimed at him.

"Oh, no..." Axel muttered. Not knowing what else to do, he held up his struggle bat in defense. However, one of the spears knocked it out of hands, by striking him hard. Five of the spears came around him, and picked him up.

"Lemme go!" Axel yelled.

"No," Xaldin replied, "the Superior wants you to join the Organization..." He approached Axel, who was fighting desparately to get away.

"What?! No! I'm _not_ going with you, and you're _not_ gonna make me," he grunted, and, managing to get a foot free, kicked the man in the face. The spears fell, and Axel came crashing down to the floor. Xaldin stumbled back, and once he could see straight again, hurled a spear in front of the red headed boy's face. It barely missed, but spun around, and stopped under his chin. Another flew behind his head. He was stuck. Another stopped directly in front of his face. It then scratched below his other eye- matching his scar.

"A perfect match," Xaldin said, "But tomorrow, someone else will come for you... someone you will be _very_ afraid of!" The spears let go of him, and Xaldin backed away into a portal. His spears vanished along with him. Axel sighed with relief. Time resumed, and the struggle battle continued, as if nothing ever happened. Despite being weakened, he still managed to get back his struggle bat, and win. That night, he sat on his bed, smiling at the trophy he had won. He told his friends and parents what had happened. At first they didn't believe him, but he had proof. His second scar.

As he was drifting of to sleep, he couldn't help but feel worried. What did Xaldin mean by 'someone he would be _very_ afraid of?'


	4. Day Four, Twilight Town

Twilight Town, Day Four

Axel woke up very early that morning, as it was bothering him what Xaldin had said.

"Someone that I would be... _very_ afraid of?" Axel said to himself, with a sigh, "Those other guys were weird enough as is." He sat in his bed until dawn, though it didn't really make a difference as it was always twilight, and eventually got up and changed clothes.

"I wonder how many more of these guys that 'Superior' is gonna send after me..." Axel thought, as he pulled his T-shirt down over his head. It was white, and the sleeves, collar, the very bottom, and a large number eight on the front were all red.

"...and I wonder who he is and why he wants me?" he thought, as he then put on his -like his shirt- red and white sneakers. He left his bedroom, and, also coming down the hallway, toward him, was his mother.

"Ah, there you are, Axel!" she said cheerfully, "You're up early!"

"Hey, mom," he replied, distantly.

"Are you all right?" she asked, with a look of deep concern.

"I'm fine..." he muttered, then added, "I was just going to see my friends..."

"Not today," she informed him, "their all coming here. And, your little friend, Roxas, came by earlier. He wanted to know if you were O.K. He's a very sweet, polite little boy!"

"That early in the morning?" Axel said, slightly shocked, "He came that early in the morning just to see if I was doing alright?"

"He was very worried," she said, "but your friends will be here soon, including Roxas. I'm going to make you all breakfast! And... let me see your scratches. The two on your face." She reached over and lightly grabbed his chin, so she could turn his face to where she could examine the cuts more carefully. But Axel turned away. He didn't like her grabbing his chin.

"What's the matter?" she asked, with a sigh, "Well... I do hope those cuts heal soon. Do you need any medicine to put on them?" He shook his head. When the marks hurt, they didn't hurt for very long. It was almost like... he absorbed the burning.

Within half an hour, Kemikah, Dema, Setzer, and Roxas arrived. They all sat around the table for breakfast, where there were toast, eggs, and bacon.

"So you awight?" Dema asked, his voice muffled as he stuffed his mouth with a peice of toast, then slurped down his orange juice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Axel replied.

"Are you sure?" Kemikah inquired, obviously very worried about him.

"Yep," he said with a nod, "But, I've gotta tell ya, this week's been... kinda..."

"Scary?" Roxas finished.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding again, "Hey, mom? Can I at least go outside the house? I mean, just right outside the door?" His mother paused for few minutes, thinking.

"O.K., but don't go any farther," she decided.

"Thanks, mom," he said.

Once finished with breakfast, the five went outside. Mainly Setzer and Axel practiced struggle battling, and Dema, Kemikah, and Roxas watched. Roxas was amazed with Axel's skills with the bat. He was amazed that the red head won that trophy, and was still doing very well today. As he watched in awe, something caught his eye. A black mist appeared just down the road, and a very large man in black stepped out.

"Axel!" he exclaimed.

"What's wrong, Roxas?" Axel asked, still grinning from the fact that he was winning.

"Look!" he yelled, pointing. They all turned around as the man in black pulled down his hood. He had short, messy brown hair, and was larger than Axel expected. The man was muscular, and carried a giant tomahawk. They all took a few steps back.

"So, let me guess," Axel began, slightly annoyed, "the 'Superior' sent you to bring me back to... where ever? And your name is...?"

"My name is Lexaeus," he replied, with a not surprisingly deep voice.

"Why does your leader want me?" Axel inquired, as it was the question he wanted the answer for ever since Vexen tried to take him away.

"Our leader thinks that you will do well as number eight in our organization," Lexaeus answered, "...but I cannot imagine as to why. You look small and thin."

"HEY!" Axel replied, feeling insulted, "Well, tell your leader that I'm _not interested. _Got it memorized? _Not interested. _I mean, _c'mon, _can't you find someone else to take with you? _Other_ than me?"

"We already have," he replied, glancing over Axel's shoulder, "Someone that is to be number nine in our organization. But he hasn't been captured yet. Zexion wasn't able to catch him... and was soaked when he came back from trying to capture _that _boy." Lexaeus pointed at Dema. Axel, Kemikah, Setzer and Roxas all turned toward Dema.

"Someone was trying to capture _you?!"_ Kemikah exclaimed, placing her hand over mouth.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Axel asked, "Do you have some kind of special power over water?" Dema's cheeks turned red.

"...Yes," he replied, and extended his arm. He opened his hand, and water began to swirl around him. An instrument formed into into his hand.

"This is my Sitar," he explained, "and I can make water clones with it. And... that Zexion guy... told that his 'Superior' says my new name is Demyx. It's not that different from Dema, at least, but he said it's my first name, with the letters mixed up- with an 'x' in it... They want me to be in their organization, too, but I don't want to be."

"Oh, Dema..." his sister whispered.

"Sorry, sis..." he apologized, "but I didn't want to worry you, since you were already worried about Axel."

"Now," Lexaeus interrupted, "You have to come with me." He slowly glided toward Axel and Dema. Holding his Sitar in both hands, Dema began to play. Water rose around him, appearing identical to him.

"Aw..." Axel whined, "That's not fair... I wanna fight, too..."

"I don't like fighting!" Dema exclaimed, and added, "And I guess that since my new name is Demyx, you should call me that..." Axel grinned over at his friend.

"Now how do you do this?" he thought aloud, "CHAKRAMS! COME FORTH!" Nothing happened. Groaning loudly in frustration, he bent foward, stretched his arms out, and looked up. Fire was forming all around him, and his chakrams appeared, spinning in midair on either side of him. He grabbed them both by the handels in the center of each.

"That works," he said, then turned toward the man in black.

"C'mon, _Demyx!"_ he told his friend, and they started the fight. Lexaeus at least couldn't hurt Demyx so long as there were water clones. Unfortunately, he _could _reach Axel. But the red head fought very well with his new weapons. He discovered a different move, in which he could creat a wall of fire. It moved slowly toward Lexaeus, and even knocked him back. But the tomahawk that the man carried was powerful. He managed to injure both Demyx and Axel. But the two boys managed to hold back long enough.

Before departing, Lexaeus pointed at the both of them, and said, "Other's will come for you, and we will come as many times as it takes to capture _both_ of you." He then disappeared into a portal.

"...Dema?" Kemikah said softly.

"Let's just go home," Demyx said quickly, not wanting to talk about it. They each left, as he suggested, except Roxas, who went with Axel back inside. The red head told his parents what happened, then he and Roxas went straight to his room, where they spent the rest of the day. The little blonde boy left at the end of the day, and a few hours later, Axel, exuasted, crawled into bed. Though he was concerned for Demyx, he was too tired to think about it, and fell asleep.


	5. Day Five, Twilight Town

Twilight Town, Day Five 

Axel woke up with a yawn. Despite yesterday's events, he slept well. There was a knock at his door. 

"Hmm? Who is it?" he called sleepily, sitting up. 

"It's me!" his mom replied, "Good morning!" 

"It's twilight," he said, with a smirk. He heard her sigh heavily. 

"Axel... may I come in?" she asked. He crawled out of his bed, walked over to the door, and opened it. 

"O.K." he decided. 

"What's wrong?" he inquired, noticing her expression. She appeared to be upset about something. His mom walked in slowly, and sat down on his bed. 

"There's something I wanted to tell you," she began. Axel cocked his head to one side in curiosity. 

"Because of those men trying to take you away these past few days..." she continued, "We're going to take you somewhere else, for your safety." Not expecting this, his green eyes widened. 

"But where am I gonna go!" he exclaimed. 

"There is a man that your father and I know whose come to Twilight Town, to stay in a mansion he owns," she explained, "and he offered to take you in for a little while. He used to have six assistants, but they all disappeared. He didn't say how, but he did say that he would glad to have you. It seemes that he's a little lonely, now that his six assistants are gone." 

"When did you talk to him?" Axel asked. 

"At the Struggle Battle," she answered, with a smile, "while it was your's and Setzer's turn." 

"Oh," he said, looking away. 

Seeing the look of concern on his face, she added, "Dema's coming, too, because the same happened to him. Those men in black were after him, too." 

"Yeah," Axel replied, with a nod, "some kid named Zexion tried to capture him." 

"You know?" she said, surprised. 

"Dema told us," he explained, "and their leader- they call him 'The Superior'- said that his new name is Demyx." This time it was her turn to cock her head to one side. 

"I wonder why..." she said, then, shaking her head, continued, "Anyway, get dressed, packed, and ready to go. Dema is coming here and we're going to take him there, too. O.K.?" Axel nodded, and his mom got up and left. 

Once he was ready, Dema arrived, followed by Roxas, who wanted to tag along. They all departed for the mansion. On the far end of the Tram Common was a hole in the wall. 

Confused, Axel asked, "Are you sure this is the right place?" 

"Yep," his dad replied, nodding. Axel and Dema glanced toward each other, each with an eyebrow raised. They both looked down at Roxas. He looked back up at them, worried. They entered through the gap in the wall. Inside, was a forest. And, on the far end of that, was the mansion. In front of it was a black gate. The double doors opened to the large building, and out stepped an older man. He cheerfully waved to them, walked to the gate, and opened it. 

"Hello!" he greeted them. 

"Hello, Mr. Ansem!" Axel's fathjer replied, "Here are the boys." 

"Axel, Dema, this is Ansem the Wise," his mom introduced the man. 

"I'm Roxas!" exclaimed the little blonde boy happily. 

"I'm Axel," Axel said, then, pointing to his friend, "and this is Demyx- I- I mean, Dema." 

"Ah, yes, I've heard about all of you," Mr. Ansem said, "Come with me." They all followed him inside. Mr. Ansem showed them to the room that they would be staying in. It was entirely white, with table in the center. There were three bunk beds. 

Dropping his things, and climbing up a ladder, Dema declared, "I call this bed!" Axel grinned up at his friend, put his things down, and sat down on a bed- only to shoot back up again. 

"This bottom bunk is freezing cold!" he said, with a shiver. He placed his hand on it. It felt like a squishy ice cube. 

"Why is it so cold!" he asked. 

"One of my assistants, Even, slept on that bed. It has always been cold. He seemed to like it that way," Mr. Ansem explained. Axel glanced down at the bed with dislike. He climbed up the ladder to the bed above that one. As he laid down on it, he noticed that it seemed hard. Axel checked, but, there was nothing. Getting back on the ladder, he lifted up the mattress. Underneath, was a surf board. The red head looked over at the man, bewildered. 

"Braig, another of my assistants, liked to surf," he said, quickly. With a sigh, Axel tried another bed, the bunk below  
Dema. But, when he sat down on it, it bowed down to the floor. 

"Wha-!" he exclaimed, as he was practically being swallowed by the broken bed. He struggled back onto his feet. 

"I take it that whoever slept here was _really_ heavy..." Axel remarked. 

"Elaeus was fairly large!" Mr. Ansem laughed. Annoyed by now, Axel walked over to another bottom bunk. He sat down on it, then noticed a breeze. 

"Is there a window open or something?" he said, shivering again. 

"I'm sorry, Dilan liked to have a window partly open, so some fresh air could get in," the man said, laughing again. Axel rolled his eyes and groaned in frustration, and Dema peered down at him from the bunk above Elaeus'. 

"_O.K., how about this one?_" Axel said, climbing the ladder. He crawled onto it, and noticed that it was warm, clean, neat, and comfortable. Pleased with this one, he nodded with approval. 

"Who's was this?" he wondered aloud. 

"That was Xehanort's bed," Mr Ansem replied. 

"He must've liked to keep his bed neat," Axel commented. The man nodded. 

"I call this one!" he declared. Dema grinned back at him. Then a look of fear swept over his face. 

"Since I'm on this bed, and the bottom bunk is broken, will this one fall?" the boy asked. 

"It should be fine," Mr. Ansem reassured him. 

"Good," Dema said, with a sigh of relief. He rested his head on the pillow, then sat back up. 

"This pillow is kinda hard," he said. 

"Hey, ya can't have this bed. I've already called it," Axel informed him. Dema moved the pillow and picked up a book that was underneath it. 

"What's this?" he asked. 

"That's what we call a 'book'," Axel replied, sarcastically. 

"No! No, you know what I mean," Dema snapped, glaring at him. He opened it, and tried to read it. It made no sense to him. 

"This book... It's kinda weird," he said, flipping the page. 

"That was Ienzo's bed. He was my youngest assistant," Mr. Ansem explained, "He enjoyed reading." There was silence for a few moments, except for Dema turning the pages of Ienzo's book. 

"Well," Axel's mom said, breaking the silence. Everyone jumped. 

"It's time for us to leave." Axel's parents left after saying goodbye, but Roxas stayed behind. Soon, Mr. Ansem told them that it was time for lunch. They hurried out the door, down the stairs, and into the dining room. It had seven chairs around it, and plates with sandwiches and chips on it. Cups and napkins were set beside each. They all sat down. Mr. Ansem entered the room, and sat down also. 

"I hope you don't mind sandwiches and chips. It was what I had to make quickly," he said, apologetically. 

"It's O.K. We don't mind," Axel said, waving a hand. 

"Apple juice!" Roxas exclaimed happily, after sipping some of the drink in the cup. 

"You like apple juice?" Dema said, then pointing to himself, added, "Me, too!" The four year old smiled, juice smeared above his upper lip, like a mustache. Once they were finished, Mr. Ansem told them that he had something to show them. He led them to the library. After they were told to promise to tell _no one_ of his secret, he drew on a piece of paper on a table in the center of the room, which already had two drawings on it. But there was a blank circle, and that's where he added in the last one. He stood back, and so did they. Part of the floor disappeared. Below was another room, with stairs leading down into it. 

"Whoa..." Roxas mouthed, his eyes wide as he peered down into the secret room. They were all led into another room beyond that one. There was another door leading else where, but it was off limits for the time being. The room they had just entered had a computer in it, with screens here and there, and a strange machine around the center of one of the walls. 

"I don't like this..." Roxas said, sliding his small hand into Axel's. The red head could tell that his little friend felt afraid. They continued into the next room. It was empty. In next room, were strange pod-like things. Dema crossed his arms. He was uncomfortable with what he was seeing. Were these used for some kind of experiment? The following room was white, with one, large pod in the center. Mr. Ansem stopped. 

"You can come down here _if_ you are _very_ careful, or if one of those men in black comes," he said. Dema yawned. 

"Well, um... This is really cool and all, but I'm kinda tired," he announced. He left them, and headed off to their new, temporary bedroom. Mr. Ansem also decided to leave, but Axel and Roxas stayed behind. They spent the afternoon mainly in the one, empty room. Roxas loved to play tag. They couldn't exactly play hide and go seek, but Axel had fun with his small friend, anyhow. After a while, about mid afternoon, Axel noticed that Roxas kept fidgeting, seeming to be uncomfortable. 

"What's wrong?" Axel asked, frowning. 

"I have to go to the bathroom..." he replied, with groan. The red head rolled his eyes and grinned. 

"Alright, I'll wait here," he said, as the little boy ran off. He leaned up against a wall, and looked around. He then started to walk around, pacing back and forth impatiently. The empty room was very lonely, without the blonde to keep him company. Suddenly, there was a strange noise behind him. He had heard that noise plenty of times before. Axel spun around to see yet another black portal. And, sure enough, someone in a black, long coat stepped out. He pulled back his hood. It was a boy not much older than himself, with blue hair, orange eyes, and an 'x' shaped scar from the sides of his nose, between his eyes, and up into his forehead. 

"Axel..." he began. 

"I know, I know," Axel interrupted, "You came because your 'Superior' told you to get me, and bring me back with you, so I can join your little organization. Yeah, I've heard. So, what's _your_ name?" 

"My name is Saix," he answered calmly. A strange weapon formed into his hand. 

"You have to come with me, now..." he said quietly. 

"No," Axel replied, laughing, "I didn't go with the other guys, and I'm not going with you, either." He bent forward, stretching out his arms, and the chakrams formed into his hands with a burst of flames. He threw them at Saix, but the teen with blue hair dodged it. Then it dawned on the red head. He would have to run over- past Saix- and pick them up. 

"Great," he thought, "How should I do this...?" He started to run when he vanished. He reappeared in front of his chakrams. Axel shook his head in disbelief. 

"That was weird," he mumbled as he picked up his weapons. Saix started to approach him again. 

"No!" Axel exclaimed, rising up. He let go of the chakrams, and they circled around him. Two fireballs appeared and slammed into his opponent. Falling back, injured, Saix was angered. 

He stood back up, and called, "Moon! Shine down!" He looked more frightening than before, as he began to fight wildly. Now back on his feet, Axel decided that now was the time to run for it. He dashed out of the room, followed closely by the berserker. He was hit several times, but still managed to get away. He ran into the foyer and knocked hard on the door across from the dining room. 

"Mr. Ansem!" he called frantically. The man opened the door to see what was the matter. 

"There's this guy- another guy in black- with blue hair- and- and-" Axel stuttered. 

"And what?" Mr. Ansem said, trying to calm the terrified boy down. 

"He's trying to take me away!" he cried, and as he finished, Saix appeared near the center of the foyer. 

"The Superior won't be 'happy'," he said, "We _will_ catch you, Axel." With that, he vanished. The upstairs bedroom door opened, and Roxas, followed by Dema, ran out and down one of the staircases. 

"What happened!" Dema inquired, followed by Roxas, saying, "Are you O.K.!" 

"I'm fine, more or less..." Axel replied, rubbing a bruise on his shoulder. He grinned and then shrugged. But he winced from the injuries. 

The rest of the day passed by without anymore trouble, until night finally came. Roxas had gone home, they had had supper, and Dema was asleep, snoring. Axel found it hard to get comfortable because of the many bruises. But once he _did_ find a comfortable position, he tried once again to fall asleep. He gazed out the window, for a while, until his eyelids felt heavy, and everything began to look blurry. He closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep. 


	6. Day Six, Twilight Town

Twilight Town, Day Six

Vexen paced back and forth. He knew someone was missing.

"The Superior is there... and... Xigbar is in his room..." he muttered, "Xaldin's there... Lexaeus is on a mission... Saix is on a mission, too..."

"Hmph. Saix," he snorted, "He's only number _seven!_ I'm number _four_ in the organization. Why is he so much more important than the rest of us to... to..." He paused, because it suddenly hit him as to who was missing.

_"Zexion!" _he exclaimed, "Of course! He's probably in Twilight Town... I _did_ say that I would get him some ice cream... I'd better go get him..." Concerned, he entered a black portal to Twilight Town.

--

Axel woke up with his head aching horribly, from the sound of an instrument. He sat up and turned toward Dema, glaring at him. It was too early for his friend to be playing his sitar. The red head placed a hand on his forehead, wishing that it would stop throbbing.

"Um... Sorry, Axel," the blond apologized, "I was just practicing." He stopped, and the instrument disappeared. Even though the noise had stopped, Axel's head still hurt.

"So..." he began, rubbing his forehead and trying to smile, "Who do you think that 'Superior' guy is going to send to come get us today?"

"I dunno," his friend replied, with a shrug, "But I'm hungry. Let's go get breakfast."

"Yeah," he agreed. After getting up and dressed, they hurried to the dining room. There was cereal for breakfast, and they both finished it quickly. Once done, the two went back to their room. Dema climbed up the ladder to his bed, Ienzo's book with him. He seemed to fascinated with that book, Axel decided. It _was_ pretty strange.

"I wonder what this is supposed to be about, anyway?" Dema finally said, "I can't really understand it."

"That's because it's _my _book!" a voice cried from a portal that had just appeared. Out stepped a boy with dark blue hair. One of his blue eyes was hidden by his hair.

"You!" Dema exclaimed, "You're the one who tried to take me back to that organization!"

"So _you're_ Zexion?" Axel wondered aloud.

"Yes," the boy said with a nod. Axel guessed that he was about seven or eight years old. He didn't expect that a kid that young would be in the mysterious organization. And he tried to capture Dema? Dema was bigger, older, plus he could probably run faster than this elementary school aged boy. Axel almost laughed out loud at the thought. But then again, he had no idea what Zexion was capable of.

The boy vanished, and reappeared next to Dema on the bunk bed. He snatched the book away, and reappeared back at the spot that he was previously at.

"This is _mine!"_ he shrieked.

"O.K., O.K.! I'm sorry!" Dema said, startled by Zexion's reaction. But then a look of understanding swept over his face.

"If that's your book, then that must mean that _you're _Ienzo!" he exclaimed.

"I _was,_" the boy corrected. Dema opened his mouth to reply, but another black portal appeared. Out stepped a man, the same one that Axel had first seen who tried to take him away.

"You! You're that guy, Vexen!" Axel said. The old man simply glared over at him in response. Then, he turned toward Zexion.

"Zexion, there you are! I've been looking everywhere for you! Why did you come-" he said, but was interrupted by Axel.

"So... How's your arm?" the red head asked, with a smirk. Vexen winced at the question and rubbed his arm, almost feeling the burn all over again. He looked over at Axel angerily. Apparently, he didn't want to be reminded of it. He turned away, ignoring him, and returned his attention to Zexion.

"You need to come with me, before we upset the Superior by being gone for so long," he said.

"I don't want to," 'Ienzo' said, pouting.

"Zexion," Vexen said sternly.

"Not yet- I wanna stay for a little longer- please," Zexion pleaded, shaking his head, so his dark blue hair fell over his other eye, too. He brushed it to the side.

_"Zexion,"_ he repeated, slower.

Sighing, seeing that he had to leave no matter what, he said, "Can we still get ice cream, then?"

"...Yes, I _did_ promise you that I would buy you some..." Vexen replied, "Come along." With that, another black portal appeared in front of them. But before they could leave, the door opened. They all turned to see Mr. Ansem standing in the doorway, shocked to see the two who were leaving.

"...Even? Ienzo?" he finally said, barely above a whisper. They both hurried through the dark hole, after a quick, sad glance from both.

--

That afternoon, Kemikah came to visit while Dema was asleep in the boys' bedroom. She wanted to see them both, and decided to stay and wait until she could see her twin brother.

"Sorry I didn't come to see you two yesterday," she apologized.

"It's alright," Axel replied. He looked around the room that they were in. It was the room that he had been playing with Roxas in, only yesterday.

"This place is kinda weird, isn't it?" he commented.

"Yeah," she replied, rubbing her arms as if she was cold. She looked around nervously.

"What's wrong? Are you cold?" he inquired, with a frown.

"A little," she admitted.

"Then watch this," he said, grinning. Trying to do what he did before, he managed to make a small fire. He could control it, and Kemikah's eyes widened with fascination.

"Are you warm now?" Axel said after a few minutes.

"Yes, thank you, Axel," she replied, smiling. But her smile faded away when she looked over his shoulder.

"What?" he asked as he turned away. His smile disappeared too, when he saw... something he had never seen before. What was before them were strange, white creatures. They almost seemed to be dancing.

"What?!" he repeated, more concerned. He stretched his arms out, and his chakrams formed into his hands.

"Kemikah, go into the other room!" he commanded. She nodded, and ran into the room with the white pods. He turned to stop the creatures from coming anywhere near his friend. Once they were gone, he hurried to see if she was hurt. Much to his relief, she was fine. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to a hiding place next to a pod. As he expected, there was that sound- that familiar sound that he had been hearing all week. An organization member was in the room. He peered around the corner to see who it was. But the man's hood hid his face, and Axel found it complicated to turn around, because Kemikah had buried her face in his shoulder. He knew she was terrified.

"What now?" Kemikah whispered, "What if that guy in black finds us?" Reality of the situation hit him.

"What if anything happens to Setzer, Roxas?" he thought, then glancing over at the frightened girl next to him, "...or Kemikah? What if they take Dema- or, Demyx, now- away, too?" As all these thoughts ran through his mind, he decided he had to protect his friend. He bravely stood up.

"What are you doing?!" Kemikah whispered, worried.

"I'll be fine," he replied. But he realized that he had said it too loud.

"Are you so sure, Axel?" the man said, pulling back his hood. He had silvery white hair, and tanned skin. His eyes were orange, Axel noticed.

"I have sent Vexen, Xigbar, Xaldin, Lexaeus- even Saix- and yet you managed to evade everyone!" he said slowly.

"Then who are you? Are you the one those other guys called the 'Superior'?" Axel asked, pointing at him.

"Indeed," he replied, with strange grin, "My name is Xemnas."

"Z-E-M-N-A-S, I'm guessing?"

_"X_-E-M-N-A-S," he corrected.

"Got it," Axel confirmed, "So... Why do you want _me?"_

"Did you ever wonder why your name is Axel?" he said.

Not expecting this question, Axel simply replied, "My parents named me."

"Actually, I gave you that name," Xemnas explained.

"You... did?" the red head said, confused.

"You don't... remember?" he said, then disappeared. Axel cocked his head to one side.

"Wha-? Hmm... He... he vanished like the others!" he told Kemikah. She stood up and started to walk over to him, relieved. But suddenly Axel felt a hand gripping his arm. It was Xemnas.

"Axel!" she exclaimed.

"Those white creatures you saw, they are called dusks," Xemnas explained, then added, "I will turn you into one... if you disobey me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Axel replied, sighing. A black portal appeared behind them, and Xemnas pulled him in with him.

--

Roxas happily ran into the room where Kemikah was. She was crying.

"Axel!" he called, but then noticing her, he said, "Kemikah?"

She looked up at him.

"Axel's gone, Roxas," she sobbed.


	7. The Flurry of Dancing Flames

The World That Never Was, Day One

The Flurry of Dancing Flames

Axel woke up on the floor of a strange, white room. His head hurt much worse than it did before. Holding his hand to his forehead, he sat up, looked around, confused.

"Where am I?" he wondered aloud.

"This is the World That Never Was," a voice answered. Axel spun around. His back cracked from turning around so quickly. It was Saix.

"You!" Axel exclaimed, with a groan, because of his aching head and back.

"You didn't believe me when I said that we would catch you," Saix said, "and the Superior was very 'upset' when I was unable to bring you here."

"What, you mean Xemnas?" the redhead replied, "And what do you mean by 'The World That Never Was?'"

"This is the world of the nobodies," he answered.

"Well, uh, that's um... interesting. Nobodies, huh?" Axel said, "I don't really get what you're talking about... but... O.K." Then something occurred to him.

"Did you say this is another... another world?!" he exclaimed.

"Yes," Saix replied.

"Another world..." Axel repeated. This was strange and new to him. He was so used to Twilight Town, being with his friends- His friends. He wondered if they were all alright.

"Where's Demyx?!" he asked.

"He's not here... yet," Saix said.

"Yet?!" Axel exclaimed, "What makes you think that you can just kidnap him, too?! I'm sure he'll manage to defend himself from you guys, like I-"

"Like you did?" he finished. The redhead's face fell. Saix was right- Xemnas _did_ capture him and bring him back to this place. It wouldn't be long before Dema- or, Demyx, now- would be brought here, too. But Axel didn't want to admit that. Kemikah would be so upset with himself _and_ Demyx gone. Besides, the blond _was_ her brother.

"Look," Axel said, standing up, "Leave him alone. You have me here. You don't need him, too."

"But of course we do," he replied, "If the Superior wants him to be in the organization, he's going to be in the organization. And if we don't do as he says-"

"He'll turn you into 'dusks'," Axel replied, "Yeah, I know."

"Hmph," Saix said, "Now... You must come with me."

_"Now _where?" he complained, "I thought you wanted to bring me _here._ Make up your mind!"

"Oh, I almost forgot," the teen with blue hair said, walking over to a nearby closet. He opened the doors to reveal about a dozen black coats, identical to his own. Below them, neatly lined up on the floor were several pairs of black boots.

"These are for you. I'll leave, and when I get back, you are to have these clothes on," Saix commanded, "So, hurry." With that, he turned and left.

"But, wait!" Axel tried to protest. But it was too late. He was already gone. With a sigh, he turned toward the closet, pulled out one of the black coats, and hurried to change into it.

--

"Do I _have _to wear this?" Axel whined. Saix had returned, and glared at him for complaining.

"Yes," he replied. Axel did _not_ want to wear that coat. It felt like he was wearing a dress. His cheeks turned bright red, and he wondered if his face was as red as his hair. He could believe it if it was. Axel turned toward a mirror. It looked like a dress as much as it felt like it.

"Stupid dress," he mumbled.

"It is _not_ a dress," Saix sighed, "Now _come."_ With a groan, the redhead obeyed, following him into a black portal.

--

Still mumbling about the 'stupid dress', Axel followed Saix out of the portal and into another white room. He looked around, and noticed that there were several tall, white chairs. Looking even higher up, he could see that all of the Organization members that he had seen were there. Xemnas was in the tallest chair, and he wondered why.

"Probably because he's the 'Superior'," Axel guessed with a smirk. One of the chairs, an empty one, lowered down to near where they stood. He glanced at Saix.

"This is your seat. Sit down," he explained. The red head hesitated, but with one dark look from Saix, he obediently sat down. He watched as Axel's chair raised higher, then entered a portal to his own chair. When his seat was as high as it would go, Saix turned toward Xemnas.

"I'm sorry for the delay," he apologized.

"You are to teach him to control the portals," Xemnas simply replied. Saix nodded. Axel sank down into the chair. He couldn't imagine this turning out very well. He knew that he and Saix would probably end up getting into an argument. But, there apparently was no way to avoid a direct order from the 'Superior'. He would just have to deal with it. So, he groaned with annoyance. Xemnas shot a deadly glare at him. He sank even further into his seat.

"Tomorrow, Lexaeus, Xigbar, I want you to bring number nine here," Xemnas ordered.

"Early in the morning?" Xigbar whined. But when he received the same look that frightened Axel, he also sank lower into his seat. There was no arguing with the leader of the Organization- _period. _

--

After the meeting, Saix returned Axel to his new room, then left. The red head waited a while, wondering what to do next, worrying about his friends, particularly Demyx. But, hours passed. After having lunch that Vexen brought- and apparently made, as it was all frozen- he was bored. Nothing to do, no one- not even Saix to talk to. So, he exited the room. Walking down one of the hallways, he ran into Xaldin. Next thing he knew, he was being carried back to his room in a cage made out of Xaldin's six spears. After being dumped onto the floor, Axel was left alone again.

With a groan, he muttered, "_O.K._, so I can't leave without _permission." _He walked over and stared out the nearby window. He had only been standing there for a few moments, when he heard a small noise behind him. He turned around to see Zexion.

"I- I brought you a book to read, so you'll have something to do," the young boy said softly and timidly. He lifted a book up to hand it to Axel. The red head took it, and opened it to get a better look.

"This is a dictionary," he laughed.

"Well... I... I could get something else, if you don't like it," Zexion said quickly, lowering his head.

"No- this is fine, really- um... thanks!" he replied, nodding.

"O.K.!" Zexion said happily, "Let me know if you want a different one." Axel nodded again, and the small boy with dark blue hair ran out through the door. Smiling, he looked down at dictionary. It wasn't much, in his opinion, but it _was_ something to do.

--

Saix returned some time later to tell Axel that he should go to bed. That was helpful, as it had looked dark out in the first place. How could they tell day from night? After digging around in his closet further, Axel discovered that some of his clothes were inside. He wondered if they were just copies of his clothes. Dismissing the thought, he changed out of the Organization uniform and into something else. He walked over to his new bed, and curled up under the sheets. After staring out the window for a while, he fell asleep, dreaming of Twilight Town.


	8. The Melodious Nocturne

The World That Never Was, Day Two

The Melodious Nocturne

"Axel. Axel, _wake up,"_ a voice said, then sighed, _Lazy _boy..." Axel felt suddenly very cold, as if he was being frozen. He yelped and sat up right to see Vexen. _That_ was why he had felt so cold.

"What?!" he growled, angry about the rude awakening.

"If you want breakfast, you'll follow me without complaint," Vexen replied.

_"Fine." _He climbed out of the bed, only to see that his arm _was_ frozen.

"You froze my arm! Why'd you do that?!" he exclaimed, melting the ice.

"You _burned_ _my_ arm," the other hissed.

"You were trying to kidnap me! It was _self defense,"_ Axel protested, "Now _show_ me where to get some _breakfast._ I'm _starving."_ With one last glare at the red head, Vexen led the way to where the other Organization members had already started to eat. Once finished with his meal, Axel returned to his new room, and changed into the long, black coat. Feeling annoyed with his situation of having been brought to this strange world, he pulled his hood up over his eyes. After leaning against the wall for a while, he decided to return Zexion's book. Hopefully he wouldn't be captured by Xaldin again. So, he picked up the dictionary and exited the room. Looking around carefully first, he could see that no one was around. Why would they be mad at him for returning a book, anyway? He dashed toward the portal-like door and ran through. Zexion, who was sitting on his bed, reading, jumped with surprise.

"Axel?! What are you doing here?" he inquired.

"Your book- I came to return your book," Axel explained.

"Oh! Thanks," he smiled, taking it, "Do you want a different one?"

"Sure, I guess. What do you have?" the older boy said, pulling his hood down. Zexion stood up, walked over to a wall of bookshelves, put the dictionary back, and began searching the shelves for something else.

"What kind of stories do you like? I have fantasies, mysteries, adventures, non-fictions, even books about the worlds! What else...? Let's see..." he answered, continuing to examine the books.

"There are other worlds?!" Axel exclaimed, "I mean, other than Twilight Town and The World That Never Was?"

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Zexion replied, "There is Radiant Gardens, Agrabah, Atlantica, Disney Castle, Halloween Town, Port Royal, Destiny Islands... among others."

"Destiny Islands?" he repeated, remembering the beach at Twilight Town, "and... Halloween Town? Those sound like fun to go to. What world do you come from? Do you come from this one?"

"No..." Zexion said sadly, lowering his head, "I come from Radiant Gardens, and I've been to Twilight Town several times."

"Then... why are you here now? Did Xemnas send those guys after you, too?" Axel asked, curious.

"No, but-" he began, but was interrupted by someone who had just come in.

"Axel. When did you leave your room?" a voice said, causing them to jump. It was Saix.

"What do _you_ want?!" Axel replied coldly.

"The Superior ordered me to teach you how to control the portals," Saix reminded him. Zexion snatched a book from his shelf and thrust it at Axel.

"Here," he said quickly, with a nod. The red head glanced down at the front of the book. It had information about some of the worlds. This would be useful.

"And here's another one," the young boy said, stacking another, smaller book on top of the first. This one was about the different types of 'nobodies'. Before he could even turn a page, however, Saix directed him out. When they were there, he led Axel to a room that he had never seen before- Saix's room. In it was a large window, as well a circular fenced in area.

"Why is that area fenced-" Axel said, but was interrupted by Saix.

"Never mind that. Listen to me, now," he commanded. Before long, Axel could warp anywhere in the room, even to his own room and back.

"It shouldn't be long until your friend arrives. He won't know how to summon portals when he first arrives either, I'd expect," Saix said. Dread swept over Axel.

"Demyx!" he exclaimed, picking up the two books he had left on the floor, "Sorry, but, I gotta be going!" He warped out of the white room and to Twilight Town. He figured Saix would be very angry when he came back- since he knew that they would bring him back in the first place- but he didn't care. He had to warn Demyx. Axel ran to their usual meeting spot, hoping that the blond would have been allowed to return there for a little while. He was right. There they were. All of them. Kemikah, Setzer, Roxas... and Demyx. He sighed with relief. He started to walk over to them when someone from behind grabbed him and placed a large hand over his mouth. Axel tried to fight his way free.

"Don't struggle," a deep voice said. He looked up. It was none other than Lexaeus. He was to late; they had already arrived. Coming up behind them was Xigbar, who was yawning.

"So... You _did_ come," The man with the eye patch said, with a smirk, "Well, you just hang out here with Lexaeus until I get your buddy, O.K.?" Axel glared at him, trying to at least growl.

"The Superior_ knew _that you would come," Lexaeus said as the other entered the room. Axel could here his friends in distress. Suddenly a loud bang sounded.

"Ow! You little-!" Xigbar exclaimed, and there was another 'bang!' The sound of Demyx' sitar could be heard, and then there was a splash.

"That's _it!"_ Xigbar shreiked. There was a sound like an explosion, and then he triumphantly came out soaking wet, carrying an unconscious Demyx over his shoulder. Axel noticed that Xigbar had a couple of bruises across his face. Kemikah used to tell him that that frying pan would come in handy one day. As soon as Lexaeus removed his hand from over Axel's mouth, the red head half wanted to laugh at the pathetic bruised, wet man, and half wanted to attack him, so Demyx could go free. He ended up doing neither. He once again found himself carried back into his room, as Lexaeus wouldn't let him go free until they were back to the Organization's world. Having been clenching Zexion's books the whole time, he wearily sat down on his bed. He stretched, and winced, being sore from Lexaeus nearly crunching him. Axel dumped the books down beside him. He opened the larger one, and began to read. What else could he do? If he left again, he knew he would just get into trouble. Axel wasn't going to risk a broken arm because of an unhappy Lexaeus. After some time, he finished reading both books.

"Kemikah's gonna be _really_ upset," he finally said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I know," a voice said behind him. Axel turned around to see his friend.

"Demyx!" he exclaimed.

"My head hurts," the other replied.

"What happened?" Axel asked, curious, as he had only heard what happened.

"Well..." Demyx began, rubbing his head, "That guy that attacked you a few days ago- you know- that shot you with those weird bullets? Anyway- he came to the usual spot and-"

"Xigbar attacked you," Axel interrupted.

"-yeah," he continued, "but Kemikah grabbed that old frying pan and hit him _hard_ with it a couple times. But I guess that only made him mad, and he tried to hurt my sister, so I pulled out my sitar and got him all wet to knock him back. It worked, but that only made him even _more_ upset, and he blasted something at me with his gun... but that's all I remember, until I woke up in this place. Some guy named Saix said I could come see you." Axel laughed softly.

"So, you met Saix, eh?" he said. As if on cue, Saix walked into the room.

"Demyx," he said upon entry, "Time for you to return to your room."

With a sigh, and a glance back at Axel, Demyx simply replied,"Already...? Alright..." followed Saix. Then everything was quiet. Axel felt lonely again, so he flopped onto his and fell asleep, not knowing what else to do. The same question played over and over in his dreams: Was everyday going to be like this? But for the moment, everything seemed so peaceful... as if he was asleep in his own room in Twilight Town. Twilight Town, where his friends were, his parents, his home...

_"Axel!"_ someone screamed in his ear, causing him to tumble out of his bed and to the floor.

_"What?!"_ he replied, and looked up to see Vexen.

"Not you again," Axel grumbled.

"Well, at least I let you sleep during the afternoon!" the old man replied.

"You mean I missed _lunch_?!" the red head exclaimed.

"It's time for supper," he said flatly, "Come along, so that you _don't_ miss it, too." Not knowing what else to say, Axel followed him, glaring at Vexen the entire way. Fortunately, he did have someone to sit with- Demyx. However, the blond kept going on and on about how much he liked the chicken. Axel knew that he was just trying to keep his mind off their situation, for the time being, so he just played along, replying that he liked the fruit. Soon that was over, and they returned to their rooms for the night. Axel wondered what would happen tomorrow. He hoped that Xemnas wouldn't want Kemikah, or any of the others, next. 


	9. A Trip To Twilight Town

The World That Never Was, Day Three

A Trip To Twilight Town

With a groan, Axel woke up in a puddle of his own spit, covering his pillow. Disgusted, he sat up and wiped the side of his face with his arm. He glanced around, and groaned.

"Great," he grumbled, "Another day. Here. At least Vexen isn't here, screaming at me to get up."

_"Axel, wake up!"_ Demyx shrieked, jumping out from behind the foot of his bed. Alarmed, Axel threw his soaking wet pillow at him.

"Ack! Gross!" the blond exclaimed, throwing it clear across the room.

"Don't _do_ that!" Axel replied. He jumped out of bed and crossed his arms.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" he asked.

"I came to wake you up, of course!" Demyx answered, wiping his friend's spit off of him, "Kemikah, Setzer, and I were going to wake you up back at Twilight Town last week, anyhow- but your mom was gonna let you sleep..."

"Oh, yeah... when Vexen came..." he recalled, with a sigh, and the blond nodded. It seemed so long ago to both of them since that time, after everything that had happened.

"Anyway," Demyx said, breaking the silence, "Zexion woke me up, and said that Lexaeus woke _him_ up, and told him to wake _me _up, so I could wake _you _up, to tell you that breakfast is ready. Xigbar made breakfast." He took in a deep breath of air.

"...Uh-huh. What'd he make?" Axel asked.

"I... am not sure," he replied, "But I _do_ know that I'm hungry! Come on!" Rolling his eyes, the red head watched Demyx leave, so he changed clothes, and then departed with his friend to have breakfast. When they sat to eat, Xigbar came in, carrying a large covered platter. Axel wanted to laugh out loud, but decided not to, as to not get into trouble. The man carrying the enormous plate was wearing a bandanna, along with an apron. A girlish apron, so Axel thought. Xigbar carefully placed the platter down on the table he lifted the lid to reveal-

"Pancakes? You've gotta be kidding me," Axel sighed, letting his head fall onto the table with a bang. He groaned in frustration. There was a pause, but the chatter between the other Organization members began again.

"Dig in!" Xigbar exclaimed, pulling a couple bottles of syrup from his apron pockets, and placed it on the table. Demyx eagerly grabbed a hold on one of them, and poured the syrup heavily onto the pancakes once they were on his plate. Axel reluctantly did the the same.

"So... What do you think we're gonna do today?" Demyx asked, sipping some of his apple juice, which he brought along from breakfast.

"We are going..." Axel replied, "to see Kemikah, Setzer, and Roxas." The blond spat out the juice.

"What?!" he explained, half choking, "Are you crazy? We'll end up getting into a load of trouble. You _do_ know that, right?" Axel grinned and nodded.

"But, hey, we can't just stay here forever, right? We _were _kidnapped, remember?" he reminded him.

"Yeah, but-" Demyx tried to protest, but Axel was already pulling him by the wrist into a portal. When they stepped out, they found themselves on the familiar streets of Twilight Town.

"Axel, I don't think we should be here-" the blond tried again.

"Aw, c'mon, Demyx, we have to at least let Kemikah know that we're alright," Axel said, trying to calm him down.

"Yeah, I guess..." his friend sighed, "But if we get caught by Lexaeus or something, don't say I didn't warn you." Axel rolled his eyes.

"I won't... Now, come on!" he said, pulling Demyx along behind him harder. Soon, they were at the usual spot. However, no one was there.

"What's going on?" Axel wondered aloud, "Kemikah and the others are usually here by now."

_"I'll_ tell you what's going on," an all too familiar voic said behind them. They simultaneously spun around to see Xigbar. Lexaeus was with him.

"You two are out... When you're _not supposed to," _Xigbar said.

"You guys can't hold us as prisoners at your world forever!" Axel growled. The man smirked, his ponytail shifting as he cocked his head to one side. Lexaeus suddenly grabbed the two boys by their arms.

"Ow! Hey, that hurts!" Demyx whined, but was silent when the large man stared down at him.

"Do you know _why_ your friends aren't here?" Xigbar inquired, beginning to pace around the room. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "It's because they don't even _remember_ you."

"My... sister... Kemikah... too?" Demyx said, sounding as if he were choking again.

"And... my parents?" Axel added, hesitantly.

"Yep," Xigbar replied, with a nod, "They can't remember you... becuase... you aren't really the people that you think you are. You're both nobodies. Who they remember are the people whom you two are the nobodies _of._ You just sort of... took their place. No _more_ than a _remnant _of what you used to be. They aren't going to see either of you," he pointed at each of them, "anymore, nor do they care."

"Boy, you _sure love _to talk, don't you?" Axel said coldly, interrupting him. With a smirk of annoyance, Xigbar turned away.

"Fine, fine. We'll _leave now,_ then," he grumbled. With that, Lexaeus turned to a new portal.

"Told you so," Demyx said flatly.

"Shut up," Axel grumbled back. Upon exiting the portal, Lexaeus threw Axel onto the ground.

"Hey!" the red head yelled at him. But, ignoring him, the huge man simply entered another portal, taking Demyx along with him. Before departing, Demyx gave Axel one last sad look, then he was gone. Axel, as usual here, found himself alone... again. He sighed heavily in frustration. Why, then, if his parents, or his friends, couldn't remember himself or his friend now, _why could they remember them before?_ It made no sense to him, and he rubbed his aching head. He _would_ find the answers to all the questions swarming around in his head. Somehow...

The rest of the day dragged on, so he decided to ask Zexion for some more books to read, to pass the time. It wasn't really his first choice of the things that he preferred to do, _but,_ there wasn't really anything else _to _do. So, he did just that, and Zexion let him borrow a few more books. Axel spent the rest of the day reading these, except during mealtimes, and occasional breaks. Xemnas made sure that Axel and Demyx were separated. Not wanting them to cause any trouble, he made Axel sit with Saix, and Demyx- who appeared to be panicked at this- next to Lexaeus. And so that's how it was going to end up for the next few days, too. Soon, Saix informed Axel that it was night, and for him to go to bed, so the red head reluctantly obeyed. Once he was in bed, he glared out the window.

"I _will_ come back to Twilight Town- someday," he mumbled, before drifting off to sleep.


	10. Destiny Islands And A Kid Named Sora

The World That Never Was, Day Four

Destiny Islands And A Kid Named Sora

Axel opened his eyes, feeling somewhat refreshed. He smiled, crawling out of bed and hurried to get dressed into his black coat.

He had a plan.

Nothing big, just to have a little fun. He used a portal to get to Demyx' room, and shook his friend, trying to wake him up.

"Wha-?" Demyx asked sleepily, opening his eyes.

"Get up, I've got an idea," Axel whispered. The blond let his head fall down on his pillow.

"Oh, is it another one of your 'brilliant' plans to escape to Twilight Town?" he replied sarcastically. He then rolled over to look at a blue watch on the table beside his bed.

"It's 6:05 in the morning," he complained, "What do you want to do, _now?"_

"Ah, come on, Demyx, I wasn't going to drag you along to Twilight Town today, don't worry! I've got an idea that'll be just for fun, O.K.? _That _better?" the red head said with a sigh. Demyx thought for a few moments.

"Alright _fine,_ I'll go..." he groaned, "So... what's your plan?"

"_We're_ gonna go wake up-"

"Don't say Lexaeus!"

"Vexen, Xigbar, and-"

"_Don't say Lexaeus!"_

"Saix."

Demyx sighed with relief, but then realized what Axel had just said.

"_Saix?!"_ he exclaimed, "He's not gonna be thrilled about this..."

"_Relax!"_ Axel tried calm him down, but, it didn't entirely work, even though Demyx _did _end up coming with him, after all.

--

The two entered Vexen's room, and hid themselves around his bed. Axel peered up at the sleeping form on the bed, grinned, then glanced over at Demyx. He gave him a thumbs up, and, his friend stood up, summoned his Sitar, splashing Vexen. Meanwhile, Axel heated up his bed from underneath- just enough to wake him up. Vexen cried out, jumped up, nearly falling of his bed, tangled in his soaking sheets.

"Come on!" Axel called, grabbing Demyx by the wrist, and jerking him through a portal.

Vexen looked around, bewildered, once he managed to free his head from his bed sheets.

"Who...?" he muttered.

--

Axel, looking back, had not noticed where he was when he stepped out of that portal with Demyx. It wasn't until Demyx asked, "Where are we?" that he realized he had made a mistake.

Axel turned around to see that they were standing on a beautiful island.

"I... I don't know..." he answered softly, "We're not the beach at Twilight Town, that's for sure." They looked around, and saw two little boys walking along the shore. Axel and Demyx hid under a nearby dock.

"Race ya!" the taller boy called to the other. They started to run, but the first boy ran faster.

"Hurry up! Your _so _slow!" he called.

"Hey!" the other yelled back. He soon stumbled and fell.

"Wa-wait up, Riku! Don't leave me!" he whimpered. The other boy, Riku, stopped, and turned around. He walked back over to his friend. He reached out his hand and helped him up. Riku sighed and laughed.

"You're going to _have_ to learn to keep up, Sora," he said.

"Yeah, then I'll be faster than you!" the other cried happily.

"Yeah, right, whatever," he said sarcastically. Sora suddenly took of into a run.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Riku called, running after him. Soon, they were on top of the dock. One stopped, then the other.

"What is it?" Axel and Demyx could hear Sora ask.

"I thought I heard something," Riku replied.

"Hey, Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you _sure_ your sure that wasn't a monster in that cave?"

Riku sighed heavily, "I _told _you- it was _just_ the wind. Besides, I wanna see if-" A little face appeared, followed by another staring at them upside down. They were looking straight at Axel and Demyx.

"Who are you?" Riku asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Um... My name is Axel," Axel said, not knowing what else to say. The white haired boy turned toward his friend.

"I'm... uh, Dema," Demyx said, backing away, slightly.

"Hmph," Riku said, "I'm Riku.

"And I'm Sora!" the other exclaimed.

"Something about him reminds me of Roxas..." Axel thought.

"Hey, do you know where we are?" Demyx asked.

"This is Destiny Islands," Sora replied.

"...Shouldn't you know that?" Riku said slowly, "Where do you come from?"

"Twi-" Demyx tried to reply, but Axel stopped him.

"We should be going!"Axel nervously laughed.

"But, wait!" Riku called to them, but it was too late- they both entered a portal and left.

"Where you think they went?" Sora wondered out loud.

"I don't know..." Riku replied, "But one day I'm gonna find out."

--

"Axel? Um... Let's not do that again, O.K.?" Demyx pleaded, and added, "Let's go get breakfast, I'm hungry."

"Yeah, me too," the other agreed, "So that was Destiny Islands, huh?"

They made their way to the usual room for breakfast, and when they arrived, they were early enough that only Vexen and Zexion were there. Vexen shot a glare at Demyx.

"I woke up with my sheets _wet_ this morning," he growled.

"Ew," Demyx replied, "T.M.I..." Axel covered his mouth and suppressed a laugh. Vexen's face turned very red.

_"Not like that!" _he exclaimed, "There was water- everywhere- and _you, number nine,_ are the only one who controls water! And- why was the water so warm?!"

"There's a reason for that... I _can_ control fire and all, which _is_ hot..." Axel replied with a smirk. Before Vexen could speak, Zexion, who had been listening to the conversation, stepped in.

"Well, uh, there's food in the kitchen!" he interrupted, "Xaldin brought it back yesterday - fruit from the Deep Jungle, some bread for toast from Agrabah, _and_ there are a few pastries! You two should get some before their gone!" Deciding that this sounded good, they entered the kitchen and grabbed some breakfast.

After they finished, each returned to their own rooms. Once there, Axel entered his bathroom, and stared at his reflection in the mirror. Still tired, he splashed some water on his face, and examined the scars under his eyes. He sighed, then winced, remembering the pain when he recieved these scars. He red hair flopped in front of his eyes, and, annoyed, he brushed it out of his face.

Then he had an idea.

--

Axel looked into the mirror, and gave a little, "hmph!" and a nod of satisfaction. His hair was now definitely out of his eyes, and he liked it. His hais was now spiky, pushed back, and away from his eyes. However, there was one little bit of red hair that stubbornly stuck forward.

"Oh, well..." he thought, "At least now it's how I like it!" He walked out of his bathroom and his room, and was surprised to see Demyx- who's hair also looked different.

"Do you like it?" Demyx asked eagerly.

"Well... um... It's O.K., I guess..." he replied honestly.

"You don't... like it?" the blond said pathetically, his eyes like two large saucers.

"Well, uh...! So long as you like it, it's fine by me!" Axel said quickly. Demyx seemed to brighten up at once. Just then, Zexion walked out of his room and turned toward them.

"Hey! Could you two come into my room for just a few minutes? Please?" he asked, "Because there's something I want to tell you..."

--

"Master Ansem was working on trying to figure out the 'mysteries of the heart'- or so he called it," Zexion explained, "and because of the Organization wanting you two, he wanted to protect you with a computer system he's been working on for a while. But- he only just managed to get it set up enough to protect both of you for a little while... But the program still has a few glitches in it. So, he had to make sure that he could watch you personally for your own safety. He just took the data that he already had of the people you were _before_ you were nobodies- named Dema and Lea- and simply put the both of you in their place."

"So... you know this because you were one of his apprentices?" Demyx asked, shifting from his position on the floor, next to Axel. The boy nodded.

"And... is there any way to permanentely leave here and go back to Twilight Town?" Axel asked, hopefully.

"Not really... I've tried to leave, too, but... I always get into trouble," Zexion sighed. The other two sighed as well.

"Is that all you wanted to tell us?" Axel asked sadly.

"Well, that and... I want my books back," he replied with a shrug, "But other than that, no. Not that I can think of."

"Oh... thanks anyway..." Demyx said.

"And I'll try to get your books back today, O.K.?" Axel added with a light smile and a nod of farewell.

"Thanks," Zexion replied. Axel and Demyx got up, and exited the room. They each went to their own rooms. The only times they left for the rest of the day were at mealtimes, as well as when Axel returned the books to Zexion, just like he said he would.

That night, Axel, as usual, curled up under his sheets. He missed his friends, family, and home _so_ much. He almost felt sad, and a tear, he thought, almost fell down he cheek, but he couldn't cry, even though he, for once, desperately wanted to. It was as if... he couldn't feel emotions. He let out one final whimper that only momentarily broke the silence, then he drifted off to sleep. Little did he know that Zexion was right. For the years to come, _this_ was to be where he would be held.


	11. Ten Years Later

Ten Years Later

"Axel, wake up!"

Axel groaned and slowly opened his eyes to see Demyx bouncing up and down, shaking the whole bed as he sat on it.

"...What? Demyx, it's early... Just go back to sleep..." the red head grumbled.

"Nope! Did you forget? The Superior told everyone to go find some new organization members, _and... _he said that Xigbar, you, and I are supposed to go to Atlantica," number nine informed him.

"Are you serious?" Axel groaned, sitting up.

"Yep! I know you haven't been there before, but don't worry, I'll show how to move around in that world," he assured his friend.

"It's a water world, Demyx. I control fire. Fire and and water don't exactly mix," the 'Flurry of Dancing Flames' said flatly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know... but I'm used to that world, and-"

"You can control water. _Of course _you're used to moving around in _Atlantica,"_ Axel pointed out, "Besides, the Superior sends _you_ there all the time... _not me."_

"Fine, I can see you're not fully awake yet, 'Grumpy'. So, I'm leaving. Hurry and get ready, so you don't upset the Superior," Demyx added. Axel rolled his eyes as the other turned to leave.

"Xemnas can't exactly be upset... if he doesn't have any emotions..." he mumbled.

--

Stretching, Axel followed Xigbar and Demyx through a portal. When they exited the black portal, however, they didn't step out- because there wasn't any ground to step _on._

"Whoa!" Axel exclaimed, and Demyx pulled him the rest of the way through. When the red head looked down, he could see that his legs were replaced by a tail. He looked at it curiously, confused to see a bright red fish tail that was mostly covered by his organization coat. This also confused him. Demyx said that _sometimes,_ these clothes disappear, resulting in less strange looks from the inhabitants. After all, how often would they see someone swimming by in a long, black coat? Especially in a world like _Atlantica, _where they probably didn' t even know what a coat _was._ Axel eventually realized that Demyx was pulling him along by the wrist through the water. He let the blonde pull him along, though, because he wasn't sure how to swim with his new tail, anyway.

"Would you two _hurry up?!"_ Xigbar called over his shoulder.

"Axel doesn't know how to swim here," Demyx explained.

"Oh-ho! _That's_ why it's taking you guys _forever!" _he said, turning around, "Maybe we can go faster... if we do _this!"_ Xigbar swam up beside Axel, grabbed him by the arm, and started to swim as quickly as he could. Demyx accidentally let go.

"Be careful!" Demyx called, catching up, "Don't pull him _too _hard...! He's not used to this world!"

"Ow!" Axel yelped, as Xigbar grip was far too hard.

"Well... Then he'll just have to get used to it! It's not hard!" Xigbar replied over his shoulder, "We're almost there, anyhow." Axel was relieved when he finally let go. He examined his arm, and winced as he rubbed the red, painful spot.

"Ow..." he whispered, biting his lip.

"So... I haven't seen _anyone what so ever_ that could be in the organization. How 'bout you guys?" Xigbar asked, stretching dramatically.

"Nope, I haven't seen any-" Demyx tried to respond.

_"Well, then!_ Let's go back, shall we?" he interrupted.

"But we haven't gone _that_ far..." the 'Melodious Nocturne' protested.

"Uh, hey...! But we've looked around _enough_ right?" Axel pleaded, not wanting Xigbar to drag him around again.

"But, the Superior-" Demyx tried again.

"Let's go!" Xigbar interrupted, a portal forming in front of them. He grabbed Axel by the wrist again, and pulled him through, followed by Demyx.

"Now... why don't you two just do... whatever it is that you do until lunch, 'kay?" Xigbar said, letting go of Axel's poor wrist, then practically sang, "I'm fixing alphabet soup!"

"Again?" Axel whispered to Demyx. The blond grinned. Once Xigbar walked away, Demyx turned to Axel.

"You know... Twilight Town isn't the world that I originally came from," he said.

"Huh?" the red head said blankly.

"C'mon."

--

Demyx leaned back on his bed.

"My family and I ended up at Twilight Town after something really weird happened to the worlds... They split apart, or something like that... Anyway, Before we came to Twilight Town, we lived at Atlantica," he explained, "That's why I'm so used to that world... and why Xemnas keeps sending _me_ there. It's because he knows that I know the place so well..."

"Why didn't you say anything about that _before _now?" Axel inquired.

"I dunno... I guess I'm still upset about having to leave it..." he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"But I thought that, as nobodies, we can't have emotions," Axel pointed out.

"Oh, right... Well, in that case, I don't know," Demyx said, "I hope Kemikah, after all this time, is all right." Silence enveloped the room. They both jumped, as a loud growl echoed around the room.

"What was _that?!"_ Demyx exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"...My stomach, I think," Axel laughed.

"Then let's go get lunch!" Demyx replied. They both jumped up and ran out of the room.

--

The day passed by faster than Axel thought it would. Most days crawled by without anything interesting... though _ten years_ had gone by. Well, it would be ten years _tomorrow._ Axel sighed at the thought that he had been trapped here for that long.

"I hope Kemikah and the others are doing alright..." Axel echoed Demyx, "But... how am I ever gonna know?" He sighed, concerned.

"I really gotta get outta here... soon..."


	12. A New Organization Member

A New Organization Member

_Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! _

_Wham!_

Axel sighed, then groaned, as he sat up in bed. He reached down to floor to pick up the alarm clock he almost never used, after unceremoniously slapping it off the bedside table. It was just out of his reach, so he leaned forward- causing him to fall out of bed. He grunted with annoyance, and snatched the clock up. He glanced at the time: 6:01 A.M. For him, it felt _so _early... But, if the Superior wants him to get up early, Axel was _going_ to up early, whether he liked it or not. Because _all _Organization _had_ to do _whatever_ Xemnas said- _or else._ And they're job for today?

"Go and find more nobodies to join the Organization," Axel imitated Xemnas, then added, "Whatever... as if having more annoying people around would make anything better..." At that moment, a portal appeared, and Zexion stepped out.

"Axel, the Superior is sending you and I to Port Royal," he said.

"...Port Royal?" the red head replied, still not fully awake yet, and standing up.

"There are pirates in that world, so be on your guard," Zexion advised him, "I will be waiting in the Proof of Existence room." With that, he walked out. Axel placed the clock back on the table.

"Annoying clock," he muttered, "It would be _helpful_ if _someone_ could control time, so I can some more sleep!"

--

Axel pulled on his other boot, stood up, and walked out. Zexion was waiting just outside, like he said he would.

"Come on," Zexion said, opening a portal. He walked in, and Axel lazily followed him. As soon as they stepped back out, they could feel the wooden boards beneath them rocking back and forth.

"A ship?" Axel wondered aloud, as he felt his stomach begin to ache furiously. Zexion nodded.

"We have to check as many worlds as possible. They're could be other nobodies at any of them," he replied.

"Ugh..." Axel grunted, "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"Then _I'll_ look around," Zexion said. He peered over the barrels they were behind, to see sailors everywhere, who were about to leave port. He glanced at each of them, then noticed a couple standing on the dock. It was a man with light blond hair, and a beautiful woman in a pale blue dress in his arms. He could just barely hear what they were saying.

"Now, Rould, don't you dare waste your money gambling away, so you can't come back to me!" the woman fussed.

"Felicia, calm down," Rould replied, _"You _are more precious to me than any of that..."

"Please, _please, do_ be careful- and come back to me," she pleaded.

"Of course," he assured her.

"And come back in time for our wedding!" Felicia giggled.

"I wouldn't miss our own wedding for anything!" he replied. Suddenly, there was a horrible noise behind Zexion. He spun around, startled. Axel was leaning over the side of the ship. The red head turned around, wiping his mouth with his coat sleeve.

"Ugh..." Zexion groaned, "Well... just don't vomit on me, or allow anyone to see us... or hear us." Axel nodded. His eyes grew wide, and he spun back around, bending over the side of the ship With a sigh, Zexion turned his attention back to the couple. They were still standing their, talking while they had the chance. Felicia hugged Rould warmly, then frowned.

"What's the matter?" Rould asked, concerned.

"I... I can't hear your heart beat, Rould," she replied.

"I am feeling calm, right now," he admitted, "Perhaps that's why."

"Perhaps," she said, almost too softly for Zexion to hear.

"So... Lovers, huh?" a voice said beside him, startling him again.

"Axel?!" Zexion exclaimed, then covered his mouth.

"Not too loud, Zexy!" Axel taunted.

"Hmph. I found our new Organization member," he whispered.

"Already?" Axel replied, interested, "Who?"

"Him," Zexion answered, pointing to the man.

"That guy?"

"Yes... His name is Rould, apparently," he explained.

"So... How do we catch this guy?" Axel inquired.

"We'll catch him..." Zexion replied, "...when he is all alone."

"And we're gonna do that... how?"

"We wait."

--

"I don't think this guy is _ever_ alone..." Axel groaned, leaning against a barrel, and gazing out at the sea.

_"Be patient,"_ Zexion sighed, "Oh, wait-"

"I really don't want to, thanks," the red head said.

"Look, he's going into the cabin!" Zexion pointed out, ignoring him.

_"Finally," _Axel mumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Come on," the other said, beckoning to him to enter a new portal. They exited the portal into the ship's cabin. Hiding behind a few chests stashed away in the room, they watched as Rould sat down on a barrel, and sighed. He pulled out something from his pocket. It was a locket, which he opened and look at what was inside.

"I _will _return to you, Felicia," he uttered with a smile. Tired, he leaned up against the wall behind him, and sighed wearily again.

"Hello... Rould," Zexion said, standing up. Axel stood up beside him.

"Who are you?!" Rould gasped, jumping up. He quickly drew his sword.

"We need you to come with us..." Zexion replied.

"No," he answered flatly.

"Oh, come on, it's not _that_ bad..." Axel said, pointing to the sword.

"Come with us... or else," Zexion threatened.

"Or else what?" Rould laughed.

"We know who your little girlfriend is," Axel replied.

"Prove it," he barked.

"Her name is Felicia. She had on a blue dress when you departed. We saw her," Zexion told him.

"No... Don't...! Don't bring any harm," Rould pleaded.

"Then come with us," Zexion commanded, with a sly smile.

"Oh, but wait- he needs a new name," Axel pointed out.

"Would _you _like to do it, _Axel?" _Zexion replied annoyed, not wanting to waste any time.

"Yeah, okay," he agreed, "Let's see... put that there... and... that _there_... add an 'x'... _and_... your new name _is_... Luxord!"

"Come on..." Zexion mumbled. A portal appeared before them, Axel grabbed Luxord by the arm, and they left the ship, returning to The World That Never Was. As soon as they stepped out, Luxord's blue eyes widened.

"What island is this?!" he exclaimed.

"This is The World That Never Was," Zexion replied, "Not an island."

"Welcome to the Organization... Luxord!" Axel said with a smirk.

--

Axel grinned as he stared up at the ceiling of his room. He shifted into a more comfortable position on his bed, and further under his sheets. A successful day. A _really_ successful day. Even the Superior seemed almost happy. Not that they actually _have_ feelings, but he seemed close to cheerful. Xigbar gave Axel, Zexion, and Luxord extra helpings of everything at supper. It seemed almost like a party that night, all because they brought back _one _new member. Luxord. He seemed to just mope around all day. But Axel could understand.

"Zexion said that the guy was gonna get _married,_ and we took him away..." Axel reasoned. He knew what it was like to be taken away from his friends and family, and knew that the same kind of thoughts must be going through Luxord's head, as when he was taken away. Axel sighed deeply, and drifted off to sleep, wondering who would be the next new Organization member.


	13. Rose Petals

Rose Petals

Axel slowly opened his eyes. He blinked, and looked around. His sheets covered his face, so he moved them out of his face, to see that he was upside down on his bed. His feet were on the pillows, and he was tangled in his sheets.

"Urk-" he said, trying to free himself. Axel finally managed to crawl out, and off of, his bed. He sleepily stretched and yawned. It had been a week since Luxord joined the Organization, and there were no new members since then. Axel scratched the back of his head, pressing his hand through his red spikes.

"I wonder who's next..." he laughed. He wondered this everyday now, and hoped that someone interesting would come. Not that Luxord wasn't interesting, it's just that Axel was hoping for someone else- someone new, that he could actually talk to, to pass the time. Not that Demyx wasn't there, it wasn't that either. He wanted someone to come, someone who would be more willing to go to the other worlds with him, just for fun. Someone who wouldn't worry about everything so much... But, he didn't want to get his hopes up, either.

Axel sighed as all these thoughts passed through his head.

--

"Demyx, what are we doing today?" Axel asked, after tapping the blond lightly on the shoulder. Demyx turned around.

"Um, I think we're just going to keep looking for new members for the Organization," he replied.

"What is it with the Superior lately, anyway? Why does he want more people in the Organization so badly now?" Axel wondered aloud. Demyx shrugged.

"I don't know, but I guess we should just do what he says, for whatever reasons he has..." he said.

"Hmm..." Axel agreed, leaning against Luxord's new doorway to his room in the Proof of Existence room. There wasn't any way he could get around Demyx' reasoning...

--

The day began passing by unsuccessfully, until Xigbar returned with a new member. Xemnas had named this new person 'Marluxia'. Axel hadn't actually _seen _him yet, but Xigbar had been boasting about being able to find him ever since he had returned- even though he couldn't remember what this new member's name was.

"His name is... Mar... something," he would say, and someone else would remind him.

Axel walked down one of the pathways, and down the stairs at Twilight's View.

"Hey, dude!" a familiar voice called from above him. Axel looked up to see Xigbar sitting on some pipes.

"Hey," he replied, "What are you doing up there?"

"Oh... I'm just hangin' out..." he answered, kicking his legs, then placing a finger to his lips, said, "But, hey- if you see anyone, don't tell 'em I'm up here, 'kay?" Axel nodded with a grin. He expected that Xigbar would jump down when someone passed, startling whoever it was. He didn't want to ruin it.

He continued through the hallway beyond that, crossing paths with Zexion.

"Hey!" Axel greeted him with a wave.

"Hmph," Zexion replied with a quick nod. After Zexion was gone, Axel cocked his head to one side, curious as to the other's reply. He supposed that Zexion was too busy to talk for the time being. Tired of walking, he made a portal appear before him, and he walked inside, stepping out in front of Memory's Skyscraper. He sat down on one of the steps leading up to the entrance of the tall building. He leaned back, deep in thought.

"Oh! Uh... Hello," a voice said behind him. Axel turned around to see a man with pinkish brown hair. His blue eyes were wide with surprise.

"Hey... uh, who are you?" Axel inquired.

"My name is... actually, I have a new name, but- I can't remember what it was..." he replied, trying to smooth down his longish, layered hair.

"Are you... Marluxia?" Axel asked.

"That's it! Marluxia... I'm not used that name yet," he explained.

"Well... the name's Axel," the Flurry of Dancing Flames introduced himself, then added, pointing a finger to his head, "Got it memorized?" Marluxia paused for a few seconds.

"Axel. I think I can remember that," he replied.

"Okay, Marly!" Axel said with a grin, and laughed to see the look on Marluxia's face, "Have you met everyone here yet?"

"No-"

"Then you should go do that!" he interrupted, leaning back down on the stairs. Marluxia began to walk away.

"You know, this really is a beautiful castle," he said, admiring the Organization's castle. A rose appeared in his hand, and he sniffed it with a sigh.

"I wouldn't mind a home like this...!" he added before walking off. Axel stood up, walking around to watch him enter the castle. Axel crossed his arms and frowned.

"There's something up with him..." he decided. He looked down to notice a trail of rose petals following behind Marluxia. Axel raised an eyebrow.

"Weird..." he commented, before returning to sit on the stairs of Memory's Skyscraper.

--

That night, he sat in front of the window in his room, staring out. He wasn't quite what to make of Marluxia, this strange new Organization member. Already, there were eleven members. Axel could hardly believe that he was only the eighth member, and there were three- _three- _after him. After allowing his thoughts to wander for a few more minutes, he stood up and fell onto his bed, falling asleep almost immediately, not realizing how late he had stayed up. He had dream after dream about Marluxia trying to take over the Organization. But being a new member, Marluxia wouldn't attempt _that... _

_Would he?_


	14. Frights of Halloween Town

Frights of Halloween Town

"_Would you wake up, already?!" _a voice screamed in Axel's ear. The red head groaned and buried his face into his pillow.

"Don' wanna..." he moaned. The other grumbled something in annoyance.

"_Ugh... Wake up- Now,"_ the voice commanded. The air suddenly became icy cold, and Axel shivered, curling up tightly in his warm sheets.

"Wha-? Cut it out!" he demanded, looking up at this person, and then seeing his room, "Ve-vexen?! What did you- _You turned my room into a winter wonderland! _Turn it back!"

"Not until you get up! It's late!" Vexen shrieked.

"Wait a sec..." Axel said with a smirk. He raised his hand, and fire shot out of his palm. He quickly and easily thawed out his room.

"Uh-?!" number four said, trying to freeze the room all over again, but it resulted in Axel's room just being soaked. Vexen tried again.

"It's not gonna work," Axel laughed.

"Hmph," Vexen managed to say, then added, "The Superior will _not _be pleased to hear that you refused to wake up, _number eight..." _

"Oh-! Fine, I'm gettin' up..." he grumbled, purposely crawling out of his bed as slowly as he possibly could.

"Hurry up,_ hurry up!"_ Vexen hissed.

"But I'm getting up, like you _said..."_ Axel replied with a grin. Vexen snapped his eyes shut and groaned in frustration. He balled his hands into fists, crossed his arms, and began tapping his foot impatiently. Patience wasn't exactly his strong point... and Axel enjoyed trying this patience. The red head grinned with satisfaction when Vexen finally stomped off.

"I _try_ to wake him up after letting him _sleep in,_ and... why does he have to be so rude? I don't know! I might as well go back to the lab... but does _anyone _listen to me in the first place? _No..." _Vexen mumbled to himself as he departed. Axel leaned back against the head of his bed for a few moments, then quickly changed into his Organization coat and boots. He still didn't want to make _Xemnas_ mad. _He_ wouldn't just stomp off... With a heavy sigh, Axel walked out of the room.

"Axel!" a voice called from nearby. He turned to see Marluxia holding a rose with one hand, and waving to him with the other.

"Um... Hi," Axel blankly responded.

"Hello," Marluxia said, with light smile, and added, "The Superior wants you and I to go to Halloween Town to search for new members."

"But, hey- it's your first official day here!" Axel exclaimed, confused.

"Yes... yes, it is..." the man replied, "So, I suppose we should be going, now?" Axel nodded, not quite sure what else to do, a portal forming in front of them. Marluxia followed him in. They stepped out to see the dark world of Halloween Town. They stood there for a few moments.

"Are you done staring, yet?" Marluxia inquired, causing Axel to jump. He hadn't realised he was doing so.

"Uh, yeah... Let's go," he replied. He had never been to this world before, and eventually noticed that their outfits had changed. Marluxia wore a long, plum purple robe with a tall, pointed, wide brimmed matching sorcerer's hat. Axel examined his own new appearance. His clothes dirty and tattered, and his skin was extremely pale, nearly snow white. His hair seemed faded, and he felt the scars below his eyes. There were stitches in them. He turned back to Marluxia, who smiled back at him. It was very dark underneath his eyes, and his pinkish brown hair had some black in it.

"...What?" Marluxia asked, cocking his head to one side and sniffing the rose in his hand. He smiled lightly again, and, as he stretched his hand out, a pink and green scythe appeared in it. He gripped it tightly, and began to walk away.

"Hey... hey, wait up!" Axel called, then thought, "This guy really _is_ weird..." He ran to catch up with him. Then looked around. He could see a fountain with green liquid coming out of it. There was a guillotine nearby. Axel winced and placed a hand to his throat and rubbed it.

"What?" Marluxia said again, "You don't like sharp blades?" He pointed to the guillotine, and then to his scythe. Axel frowned, thinking about his chakrams.

"Nah," he replied with a carefree grin, "It's just I don't like the idea of having my head chopped off."

"Ah..." the other replied with a laugh.

"Elaner, I'm afraid Jack's performance was much better than your's," someone said nearby. They ducked behind a gate, out of sight.

"What?!" a girl dressed as a witch replied, whom they could see through the gate's bars.

"Sorry, Elaner, but they want _me _to performe this Halloween," a tall skeleton apologized.

"Ooh, Jack! Just- just leave me alone!" the witch screamed, turning around and stomping off.

"She's a nobody," Marluxia decided.

"What makes you think that?" Axel couldn't help but ask.

"I am not sure..." he simply replied.

"Whatever..." Axel mumbled. Marluxia quickly stepped in front of the girl when was close.

"Hello, Elaner," he said.

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" she immediately asked.

"We need you to come with us," Marluxia said, not bothering to answer, "We come from an organization... of nobodies."

"Why should I come with _you?_ What are nobodies?" she asked.

"Well, then, you can find out when we get there," he replied.

"Hmph. Well, I _suppose _it would be better than this boring old place..." she tried to reason. _Poor_ reasoning, as Axel thought.

_"Besides,_ she added, looking at Axel, "You're kinda cute..." With a somewhat creepy grin, she gently grabbed Axel's chin. He turned away, annoyed.

_"Well, then,"_ Marluxia said suddenly, his face very red, "Why don't we leave now?" A portal appeared in front of them, and Elaner followed them in.

When they were out, Axel pointed out, "Since you're gonna be in the Organization, you need a new name..."

"Larxene," Marluxia decided.

"Larxene? Okay... but tell me, what are _your_ names?" Larxene demanded.

"My name... is Marluxia," number eleven answered.

"The name's Axel," the red head replied, then, pointing to his head as when he had met Marluxia, added, "Got it memorized?"

"Ooh, attitude! I like that," she flirted, much to Axel's annoyance.

"We should introduce you to the Superior," Marluxia said flatly.

"Fine, whatever," Larxene sighed, sounding bored.

--

"So... Axel, you know, I didn't originally come from Halloween Town," Larxene said.

"Hmm," Axel grunted in reply. It had been a few hours since she had had come back to The World That Never Was with him and Marluxia. He had decided to return to the steps in front of Memory's Skyscraper, and she had followed him there. _Not _that he had actually _asked_ her to _come._ She just tagged along anyway.

"...My mom left me there," she continued, then, shrugging, said, "But that I always thought that stupid crow of her's was annoying, anyhow. So... where do _you_ come from... _Axel?" _

"Twilight Town..." he mumbled. He hadn't heard half of what she had been talking about the whole time, as he was deep in thought, and would have rather have been left alone.

"Oh, that sounds... interesting... I guess," she replied. Out of the corner of his eye, Axel could see someone walking by. He looked up to see that it was Vexen. He had an idea.

"Hey, Vexen!" he called. Larxene, who had started chattering again, stopped to see who he was calling for.

"Have you met our new member yet?" Axel yelled.

"No," Vexen called back, walking over. He smiled politely at Larxene, who smirked back.

"Hello. My name is Vexen," he introduced himself, "I am number four in the organization, and I am also the scientist here."

"Oh! A scientist?" Larxene replied, "Well, then, why don't you go away, and play with your chemistry set, old man." Axel watched as Vexen's pale face turned bright red. The red head silently stood up and entered a portal as Vexen practically exploded. Perhaps he wasn't the best person to leave Larxene with. But, at least Axel could be by himself, now.

--

Axel found that the night seemed to come faster than usual. He sighed with relief that Larxene couldn't follow him _here._ He curled up in his nice, warm sheets, for once appreciating the rules Xemnas had made for the organization to follow. But, he groaned at the thought that she or Marluxia could the ones to wake him once it was morning. But until then, he didn't have to listen to Larxene's continuous chatter, or deal with Vexen, who was probably in a horrible mood after his argument with her. For the time being, he could sleep peacefully, with absolutely _no one _to disturb him. Axel drowsily rolled over and fell into a heavy slumber.

-Hello, TwilightFairy928 here! I just wanted to mention that this story is almost over. There will probably be only two or three more chapters. And no, Roxas' chapter is _not_ next.- 


	15. A Familiar Face

A Familiar Face

Axel slowly opened his eyes. He groaned and stretched, then glanced over at his clock. 4:11 A.M., it said. Why did he have to wake up _so early?_ He rotated his shoulders uneasily, feeling as if he were not alone.

"Alright, who's there?" he called into the darkness. He jumped when something shifted, then stood up. The red head swallowed hard, and called again. This time, he lit a fire on the tips of his fingers.

_"Who's there?"_

The light revealed the face of none other than Zexion. The teen pressed a finger to his lips.

"You want to go back to Twilight Town, right?" he whispered. Axel nodded.

"Well, then... I can stall for you for a little while, but _only _for a little while," he said, "Don't come back any later than 7:00. Besides, I am _not _going to do your jobs for you."

"But... why are you-?" Axel began, but Zexion pressed a finger to his lips again.

"Just go."

--

Axel gazed around at the familiar sight that he had not seen in _so_ long. He sighed, relaxed. This confused him. Nobodies weren't supposed to feel anything. However... he felt calm. Relieved. Carefree. But he was back, and that's all that mattered. He walked around, memories swarming through his head. The clock tower, the continuous sunset, the familiar roads, the sandlot...

"Hello...?" a voice said softly behind him. He spun around to see a face that appeared so familiar... yet... somehow, changed.

"H-hello," he replied hesitantly. Then it dawned on him. He recognised this face because it was the face of the girl he knew ten years previously. But there was something else different, too. He sighed at the thought, but he realised that this young woman standing in front of him was a nobody... of Kemikah.

He swallowed, then muttered, "K-kemikah...?"

She cocked her head to one side, then slowly replied, "...Axel? Is it... is it really you?" He nodded, and she suddenly lunged forward and held on to him tighly.

"I-I missed you so much! Where did you go?! Where's Dema?!What happened to you after that strange man took you away?!" she asked. Axel placed his hands on her back, resting his head on her's trying to calm her down.

"Relax, Demyx- I mean, Dema- is okay, and if we can go somewhere else, I'll explain everything, alright?"he said gently. She looked up at him pathetically and nodded.

"How about we go to the old place that we all used to hang out at?" he suggested.

"There are three kids that stay there after school, and on the weekends. We can't go _there,"_ Kemikah informed. Axel sighed, thinking.

_"However..."_ she added, "We _can_ go to the clock tower and talk."

--

"So... you haven't been able to come back... because that Superior guy, what's-his-name, won't let you come back?" Kemikah concluded, "But... that kid that originally tried to take Dema, or now, Demyx, helped you? And... his name is Zexion, right?"

"Yeah," Axel said, nodding, "And, uh, what's-his-name? The Superior, ya know? His name is Xemnas... Oh, yeah! And Zexion is in his teens, now. Speaking of which, he said I had to be back by seven, so that I don't get in trouble with the Superior."

"You're sounding just like them!" she exclaimed, her jaw dropping.

"What do you mean?"

_"'I have to be back by seven so that I don't get in trouble with the Superior',"_ she immitated him.

"...And... that's supposed to sound like me?" he picked on her.

"I tried," she admitted.

"Hmph," he laughed.

"It's a beautiful sunset, isn't it?" she commented.

"It just can't _ever_ be morning or night here, can it?" he replied. She laughed gently, and rested her head against his shoulder. He glanced down at her, who smiled contently.

"It's nice to have you back," Kemikah sighed, "but I _do_ wish that Dema could have come with you..."

"I'll try," he laughed, then added, "Hey, do you know what time it is?"

"Uh..." she answered, checking her blue, small, delicate watch, "Ah... almost seven."

"Then I gotta get back, before I myself- and Zexion- in trouble..." he groaned. Suddenly, she shivered.

"What's wrong, Kem?" he asked.

"I'm cold," she said.

"Here," he said with a light smile. A small fire appeared before him, and she warmed her hands.

"That's better. Thanks, Axel," she said, curling up next to him.

"I, uh, _would_ let you borrow my coat, but... Xemnas'll wonder what happened to it, and... I really gotta go... Sorry," he apologized.

"Well... bring my brother, 'Demyx', with you next time, okay? Please?" she begged him.

"I'll try my best for there to _be_ a next time!" he promised, "See ya later, Kem!"

"Bye!" she called, and waved as he began to enter a portal.

She quickly added, "Be careful!" He nodded, with one last glance at her.

"You too, Kemikah..." he whispered as he stepped back out into his room.

"You're late."

Axel turned to see Zexion, who was leaning against one of the walls.

"Sorry, I-" he attempted to explain, but was interrupted by Vexen, who entered the room.

"Zexion?" he said slowly, "You woke Axel today? Thank-you, that's very of you- _Why are you sweating, number eight?!"_ Axel examined his clothes, and he was indeed sweating. It was because he was out that morning, doing things, instead of just sleeping in bed.

"I... um... should go... do something!" he said, trying to change the subject, "Like, uh... get... breakfast! Yeah! I should get breakfast!" With that, he ran off, followed by Zexion, who had been waiting on him.

--

During breakfast, Axel noticed that Vexen was watching him.

"Hey, Axel, are you alright...?" Demyx asked, cocking his head to one side, and waving a hand in front of the red head's face. But Axel didn't hear him.

Vexen knew.

...And maybe Xemnas would know soon, too.

--

Axel fell back onto his pillows, glad that Vexen hadn't said anything. He was honestly surprised.

He was more relaxed than usual to know that Kemikah was okay. He had told Demyx all about it, and the blond agreed to go with him, soon, to see her. He would have gone to see his sister, too, as eager as he was, however, he knew the consequences of upseting Xemnas. So, they would find another time to go.

But for now, it was night, and Axel was _very_ tired. He allowed his thoughts to wander, which soon turned into dreams.

-Okay, so I_ think _there might only be_ one _more chapter left, and _that_ will be Roxas' chapter. Oh, and- sorry for the delay! I was having _major_ problems with writer's block!- TwilightFairy928


	16. The Key of Destiny

The Key of Destiny

"Hey! Hey, Axel! Wake up!" Demyx said, shaking the bed. Axel slowly opened his eyes, and sleepily closed them again.

"Aw, c'mon, Axel! _Wake up!"_ the blond demanded, blasting water on the red head's face.

"Ack! Demyx! Cut it out! I'm up! I'm up!"

"Then let's go see Kemikah, today," the Melodious Nocturne suggested.

"You know... She's not exactly the same as you remember her..." Axel said, wiping the water off of his face with his sleeve.

"What do you mean...?"

"I hate to tell you this- really- but... who I talked to... was actually..." he tried to explain to her concerned brother.

"Yes?"

"That was her nobody," he finished, but seeing the expression on Demyx' face, added, "But she doesn't seem to realize that anything's... different. At all."

"She doesn't... _know_ she's a nobody?" Demyx said slowly, "Should we tell her?"

"Nah," Axel replied, shaking his head, "Don't wanna upset her..."

"But... nobodies don't have feelings," the other pointed out.

"True."

"So... can we go see her...?" Demyx asked again.

"I don't know..."

"We don't have any missions today, so far as I know...! Please, Axel?!"

"...Alright."

--

"Hey, dudes! Where are _you_ going?" a familiar voice called. Axel turned around to see Xigbar.

"We're going to Twi-" Demyx tried to answer, but Axel quickly placed a hand over his mouth before he could finish. Xigbar narrowed his eyes.

"Where are you two going?" he asked again.

"Well... we don't... uh... have any missions today, right?" Axel replied.

"I don't think so... " he said, then eyeing them, added, "Okay, I know you guys are up to _something..._ what is it?"

"Oh... y'know... just somewhere... since there's nothing else to do today," Axel replied, thinking.

"Oh, really?" Xigbar said, with mischievous smile, "You two are just lucky I'm not Saix."

"Yeah... Yeah, we are..." Axel sighed.

"We just wanna go to Twilight Town..." Demyx groaned, "...Are we in trouble?" The smile on Xigbar's face widened.

"Nah! Why should Xemnas mind if you go there on a day that you don't have anything else to do?" he replied, "But if you guys _were..."_

"But we're not," the redhead pointed out.

"Yeah..." Xigbar said, turning to leave, waving, he called over his shoulder, "Bring me back some ice cream, 'kay?"

"Gotcha!" Demyx called back.

"Let's go," Axel said.

--

Demyx took a deep breath of contentment.

"Mmm... Twilight Town..." he sighed.

"Ya haven't been here in a while, have ya, buddy?" Axel remembered.

"No..."

"Number eight! Number... nine...?!" a voice called behind them. They turned around to none other than Xemnas.

_"Superior...?!"_ Axel replied weakly.

"Why are you here?" he asked, ignoring their surprise, "I have _not_ given you any orders to come to Twilight Town."

"We just thought..." Axel said, thinking hard.

"Number nine, you may go..." he said, "But number eight... I would like like you to come with me..."

"Yes, sir..." Demyx replied, walking away. He was going to see Kemikah, and Axel knew it. Xemnas didn't seem to care.

"But...!" Axel tried to protest, but simply closed his mouth, because of the look Xemnas gave him.

"There is a nobody here..." the Superior began to explain, "Zexion could smell it. The Organization's number thirteen... I will locate that nobody, and name it. _You_ are to bring it to the meeting room to be introduced. Understand?"

"Y-yes, sir," he answered.

"However, I would like you to wait in the woods just beyond that mansion," Xemnas directed, "I will tell you when I need you."

"Understood," Axel replied with nod.

--

Axel paced back and forth impatiently. He wondered who this new member was.

"Number thirteen..." he thought, "Please don't be _Kemikah's_ nobody..." His thought drifted to Demyx... If this nobody _wasn't_ her's, then he was probably talking to his twin sister right now... He wished that could be there, too. He sighed, glancing at the path to the old mansion. He, tired from pacing, leaned against a tree. He glanced at the path again.

"Oh, come _on!"_ Axel groaned, "What's taking so long?!" As if on cue, Xemnas appeared through a portal nearby.

" Number eight, you may escort him to the World That Never Was, now," the Superior informed him, and departed through another portal.

_"Him?"_ Axel wondered aloud, then sighed, "At least it's not_ Kemikah's_ nobody..." Curious, he walked to the nearby mansion. Standing before the front gates, staring up at the large house, was a boy. He had spiky blond hair, which Axel found as familiar.

"Hey!" he called. The boy jumped and spun around.

"Hello," he replied hesitantly, noticing the red head.

"So... _you're_ number thirteen, huh?" Axel said, approaching him, "Welcome to the Organization, kid! What's your name?"

"I'm Roxas," the young nobody timidly replied, "Who are you?" Axel smiled, with a hint of mischief.

"The name's Axel," the red head introduced himself, "Number eight in the Organization, the Flurry of Dancing Flames!"

Axel lightly tapped his forehead, and added, "Got it memorized?"

_**The End**_

-I hope you guys enjoyed my fan fic! Sorry that it took _so_ long to get this chapter up, but I was having a slight problem with writer's block... But, anway, I _might_ do a sequel, but it will be about the mysterious Number Fourteen, instead. Thanks for reading my story!- TwilightFairy928


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